Only Hope
by Quicklove202
Summary: AU. Stefan has always been a Ripper. He doesn't feel. He's never known or felt love as a vampire. That is until a certain hazel-eyed beauty comes into his life. Based off of "A Walk to Remember." Stefan/Quinn. (Majority is Rated T, but with minor M scenes).
1. Creep

**AN: This is just another AU story that follows the storyline of "A Walk To Remember." In this, the entire series of TVD hasn't happened and by that I mean, Stefan never met Elena, he has never 'good' Stefan. He's always been a Ripper. He hasn't seen Damon in years. I'll explain more later on when needed, but really that's what you need to know going into this thing to avoid confusion.**

**As for the Glee-verse, this is an AU S2. I'll be tying in many of the actual events that happened in the show, borrowing some dialogue when needed, and just changing them around as necessary. In this, Quinn has never been pregnant nor has she ever gotten together with Puck. She's only ever been with Finn, but they're no longer together. She's a relatively good girl in this story, i.e. President of the Celibacy club, goes to church regularly, and all that jazz, but I'll explain more on that later. **

**This first chapter is really just a prologue with Stefan, based loosely on the opening scene of A Walk to Remember.**

**As always, read. enjoy. review!**

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><p>Stefan Salvatore crosses the threshold of the crowded bar and stops to take in the scene. The place, heavy with musk, was filled with mostly just bikers and truckers looking to wet their whistle before heading back out on the road. There were a few young adults hanging around as well, presumably college kids. Or maybe just high schoolers with fake ids. Either way there was more than enough fresh blood to go around and he had it all at his disposal.<p>

Taking a seat at the bar, he orders his usual drink and as he waits on it, allows his gaze to wander. Being on the outskirts of some sad, God forsaken town in Ohio, he didn't expect to find anyone particularly ravishing but the girl standing at the end of the bar was cute enough for his tastes. He watches her for a few seconds, patiently waiting for her to sense his staring and turn her pretty head. Eventually she does and when she catches sight of him looking at her, he feigns embarrassment and ducks his head, knowing well enough that being adorably shy was just the route to take in order to draw this girl in.

It works, of course, and as soon as the girl gets her drink, he sees her out of the corner of his eye making her way over to him. Though he smiles to himself, he waits for her to introduce herself before lifting his head. When she does, he gets to his feet and does the same. "Stefan." he offers, reaching down and taking her hand in his before bringing it to his lips, his eyes trained on hers the entire time. Her breath falters and her heart rate increases. Her cheeks start blushing furiously when she takes back her hand.

"If you don't mind my saying," He's standing so close to her that she has to tilt her head back in order to look him in the eyes. He's more than amused when he realizes that he hasn't even handed out the first compliment and already, judging by the mesmerized look in her eyes, that he had her hook, line, and sinker. It definitely paid to be a vampire. "You're breathtaking."

His hand barely grazes the side of her delicate cheek before the girl is suddenly yanked backwards by some oaf in a Cincinnati Bengals jersey. "Back off man, she's taken." he warns, stepping in between Stefan and the girl.

Stefan fights the urge to both roll his eyes and bash this guy's skull into the bar. "Look, I'm not from around here. I'm just passing through, looking for a good time. Something which," he clasps the jock's meaty shoulder and forces him to meet his gaze.

"You and all your friends back at the pool table are going to help me with." he states in a quiet but commanding tone. "Do you understand?"

The guy nods obediently, just as the girl, Hannah she had told him, behind him does. "Now you are going to steal a bottle of Jack Daniels from the bar. _Don't_ get caught. In the meanwhile I'm going to take the rest of your party out to the parking lot. Then we'll leave together and have one killer party."

After about a ten minute drive down the road, Stefan pulls up to a seemingly abandoned cement factory. He parks his car off to the side and politely orders his new _friends_ to get out.

"What are we doing here Stefan?" Hannah asks innocently, looking around with confusion etched across her face.

"Having fun." he replies, walking past her. "Or at least, _I'll_ be." he murmurs out of earshot. He points to two of the guys he had brought with them. He hadn't bothered to get their names.

"You two are going to take a little swim." he informs them, gesturing over to the quarry where water was continuously being poured into. "But I want you to jump from up there." he adds, nodding toward the large scaffold on the other side of the quarry.

"You'll each wait for my signal before you jump. I don't know how deep the water is so…good luck." Surprisingly he's able to stifle a chuckle.

As the two boys make their way over to the large ladder on the side of the scaffolding, Stefan eagerly turns his attention back onto Hannah and her companion. He eyes the blonde whose name he didn't know and gamely licks his lips. "You look absolutely delicious."

He appears before her in an instant, before she even has the chance to register what he had done. "Don't be afraid." he says to her in a reassuring tone, his hands coming up to gently touch her arms.

"I'm not afraid." the girl recites in monotone like the puppet she was.

His lips quirk and he gives a curt nod. "Good. Now don't scream." He closes the gap between them and rips into the girl's throat without another thought. Though she's unable to scream, the girl squirms in his arms like a dying fish, but as the seconds pass and her blood loss increases, that quickly changes.

It isn't long before she goes completely limp in his arms. He holds her in his embrace, still feasting, his grip on her bordering bone-crushing as the intoxicating liquid fills his mouth and throat. When he's had his fill, he retracts his fangs and lets the girl's dead body fall at his feet. He doesn't bother to wipe his mouth as he stalks over to his car and plucks the bottle of Jack Daniels from the passenger seat. He takes a seat on the hood and orders Hannah to join him.

After taking a hearty swig of whiskey, he reclines back against the windshield. "This is going to be fun." he assures her before enthusiastically gesturing to the two boys up on the scaffolding. "We're waiting!"

The taller of the two nods and launches himself forward without hesitation, diving head first into the water. Even from where he sat, Stefan could hear the sound of the poor guy's body hitting the bottom with a dull thud.

"Ooh." he pretends to cringe, his gaze flickering to Hannah. "I guess the water was shallower than I thought. Whoops." He gives an careless shrug before ordering the shorter, blonder boy to take his turn.

A smirk plays on his lips as he takes another swig from the bottle. "Ouch, that had to of hurt. I give him a 7.5. His execution was sloppy." he comments, pulling a face when he catches sight of the kid's body floating around the surface face down.

"Should've compelled more people." he murmurs to himself, dismayed that the fun was over already. Well, it wasn't _completely_ over. He still had little Hannah.

"Fun fact about me, Hannah." he passes the bottle over to her and she drinks without question. "I once massacred an entire migrant village in Mexico. Ripper of Monterrey they called me." he recalls fondly, leaning back in his seat and glancing up at the stars. "Now that was a _really_ fun day." His brow furrows in thought. "You know I really should do something like that again."

"I don't think we have any migrant villages in Ohio." Hannah frowns, prompting Stefan to roll his eyes.

"Any schools nearby?" he asks lazily, swiping the bottle back from her and finishing off the bottle.

"The closest one is McKinley High School in Lima." she promptly tells him, hiccupping slightly from the alcohol. "It's in the next town over."

"McKinley High School." he repeats, folding his hands behind his head. "Anything tragicever happened there?"

The girl thought about it for a second before shaking her head. "No, I don't think so."

"Well I think I'm going to have to do something about that." he says decidedly, hopping off the hood and carelessly chucking the empty bottle aside. "But first…."

He stops and turns around, looking directly into Hannah's bright blue eyes. "I want you to run as fast as you can and never look back."

She did so without hesitation, taking off in the opposite direction of where they had came. Stefan watched her go and kept his arms crossed as he patiently waited. He started counting in his head, intent on giving the girl until 200 before he went after her.

About fifteen minutes after he had taken off after Hannah, Stefan returns to his car, the girl's blood soaked into his shirt like it was sweat. He left her off the side of the road in pieces, various body parts strewn across the road a mile down after having drained her dry. The look on her face as he had fed on her was one of utter terror, a look that Stefan had grown accustomed to seeing, and reveling in, on a daily basis.

First wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he slides into his car and starts the engine. Bon Jovi's _Wanted Dead or Alive _comes blasting through the speakers and he turns it up even louder, violently ripping the car back onto the road.

A few miles pass before he's finally greeted by a sign that reads, _Lima, Ohio Welcomes You!_

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><p><strong>AN: Reviews would be greatly appreciated!<strong>


	2. We Might As Well Be Strangers

"_Happiness hit her like a train on a track_

_Coming towards her stuck, still no turning back…"_

Silently groaning, Quinn reluctantly turns around in her bed and reaches over to her nightstand to silence Florence Welch's crooning. She sighs to herself, eyes still closed, and allows herself a few more seconds of basking in the warmth of her bed before getting up to start on her morning routine.

Walking over to her window, she pulls back the curtains and stops to just take a moment and admire the new day, pray for a good day. Not just for herself but for everyone else too. She wasn't sure when she started making this a part of her daily routine exactly, one day she just felt like it was something she should do and it stuck.

Stefan's been around long enough to know better than to think his presence wouldn't draw the attention of the entire student body of this podunk school. In fact he anticipated it. Welcomed it, even. As he saunters through the hallways of McKinley High, he keeps his attention forward and his senses alert. Out of the corner of his eye he could see many of the students he passed doing a double take, grabbing onto their friends and whispering the questions no one knew the answers to.

_Who is he?_

_Where did he come from?_

Admittedly, enrolling back into high school wasn't the part of his plan, but he figured it was at least something to do during the day and keep him occupied. Having been around for so many years he's found that once you've accomplished your every dream and desire, daily life can get quite tedious.

Which is why he plans to have a little fun with these high school kids. Hundreds of teenagers at his beck and call, just asking to have their skulls crushed and their limbs ripped from their bodies. It took his every once of strength not to just have at them right now and make McKinley the site of the biggest blood bath in history. It would definitely give this town something to finally talk about.

He could already picture the floors flooded with blood, the stench of rotting corpses in the classrooms. He didn't want to just be _a_ ripper, he wanted to be _the_ Ripper. And once he was done with this pathetic excuse of a school no one, in either the human world or the supernatural one, would ever doubt it.

Turning the corner, he passes by a group of delectable looking cheerleaders. He pauses for a second, mulling it over, before turning back on his heel and going after them. After all a little pleasure before business never hurt anyone.

Quinn was in the midst of enjoying her lunch when a frenetic Rachel rushed over to their table. "Did you all hear about those gruesome deaths in Dayton that happened this weekend?" she inquires, eyes wide like saucers. She doesn't wait for a response before joining them, sitting next to Quinn.

"Uh, no?" Mercedes replies questioningly, brow furrowed.

As usual Rachel takes this as cue to explain things. "Well as I was doing my morning exercise routine I was listening to the radio and _that _was the only thing those radio personalities could talk about. Apparently the police found two bodies floating in a lake next to cement factory and a girl whose body was drained of all it's blood. And the grossest part? There was another body found, a teenage girl, _our age_, on the side of the road, completely mutilated a la Black Dahlia!" Rachel continues, her voice getting louder and more panicky with every word.

Quinn could feel her face pale and instinctively, she sets her fork down, her appetite suddenly nonexistent. "Was it really necessary to tell us this _now_, Rachel? While we're eating?"

Rachel stares at her blankly for a second before all but shrieking, "The authorities think there's a crazed psychopath killer on the loose, Quinn!"

"Really?" Mercedes gasps, making Quinn and Tina snicker. "Another one?"

"I'm serious!" Rachel cries frustratedly. "Dayton isn't far from here, you guys. That psychopath could be headed here for all we know! I can't die now! At least not until I get my EGOT!"

"What's an EGOT?" Tina can't help but ask.

"An Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and a Tony." Rachel explains quickly, fighting back her incredulity at Tina's ignorance. "But back to the serious matter at hand. Ass attractive young females, we should _all_ be worried about this psychopath coming to get us. "I mean for all we know…" the small brunette pauses for dramatic effect before whispering, "One of us could be next."

Quinn, Tina, and Mercedes all share looks with each before simultaneously bursting out into laughter, unable to contain it.

"Oh, Rachel," Mercedes chuckles, wiping a tear out of her eye. "You crazy."

Rachel turns her nose up indignantly. "Whatever, Mercedes. Just don't come crawling to my doorstep when some psycho with a hatchet is out to get you."

"Can we please talk about something lighter…happier, perhaps?" Tina suggests before Mercedes has the chance to retaliate. "How about the Duets competition in Glee?"

"You all might as well throw in the towel now cause me and Mercedes are going to own all you bitches." A familiar voice states, prompting the four girls to turn their heads toward the two cheerios, Santana and Brittany, who had just walked up to their table.

"Wait ,I thought you were going to duet with Kurt?" Rachel says to Mercedes with a deep set frown.

"Boy has his heart set on dueting with the new kid, Sam." Mercedes shrugs, glumly stabbing her macaroni noodle with her fork.

Santana snorts. "Well that scratches off one more team we don't have to worry about Mercedes." she says proudly, taking a seat at their table. "Sam I Am totally sounds like Zac Efron when he sings."

"And that isn't good." Brittany adds, following suit.

"You know Quinn, ever since Sam came to this school, I've caught him checking you out more than once." Mercedes brings up, lifting her head and meeting her gaze. Quinn is all to familiar with that mischievous twinkle the other girl has in her eyes. "Maybe _you_ should duet with him. Cause don't be actin' like you haven't noticed him either." she smirks.

Sighing, Quinn begins aimlessly winding her spaghetti around her fork. "I admit that Sam's cute, but I wouldn't want to give him the wrong impression." she says, shaking her head. "I'm not looking for a relationship right now."

Mercedes takes a sip of her Gatorade, frowning, then sets the drink down. "Okay what's up with you lately, baby girl? You're usually not-"

"So picky? So prudish?" Santana offers, effectively interrupting Mercedes.

Mercedes throws her a quick glare before reverting her attention to Quinn. "What I was going to say is that, well, every time a boy gets even _remotely_ close to asking you out, you end up shutting them down faster than the cops shut down one of Brittany's house parties."

"Wow, that's fast." Brittany comments, sucking down her juice box.

"Maybe they're just not up to Quinn's standards." Rachel suggests, raising her shoulders briefly.

"But practically all of them are from mine and Quinn's church!" Mercedes argues. "They're all honest and _cute_ church going boys. They're all perfectly fine."

Quinn continues to play with her food, purposefully avoiding the stares of the other girls. She doesn't want to be rude but she will if it's what it takes to get them off the subject of her dating life.

"Then what's wrong, Quinn?" Tina asks, sounding concerned, which Quinn knew that she was. "Is it because you're not over Finn?"

When Rachel hears this the girl nearly chokes on her vitamin water, utterly horrified that that might be the case. Quinn is quick to debunk that theory though. "No of course not. Me and Finn...that was such a long time ago. And our breakup was mutual. He was always in love with Rachel and that's fine." she pauses, then sighs, looking at them earnestly. "This is not about Finn, believe me."

"Then what's up?" Mercedes wonders. Cause ever since we came back from summer vacation, you've been acting different…not that I'm saying that's a bad thing." she quickly adds after catching the frown on Quinn's face.

"Yeah what ever happened to the HBIC I used to love and admire, Q?" Santana asks, taking a sip of Sue Sylvester's Master Cleanse. "Not that I'm complaining or anything, seeing as how now I'm _finally_ head Cheerio."

Quinn shrugs. "I just had a lot of time to think over summer and I realized that I've been for the past two years wasn't me, wasn't who I wanted to be. I didn't want to spend the rest of my high school career as the school bitch, even it means giving up the title of the most popular girl in school."

"_Second most popular_." Santana corrects under her breath. Quinn just ignores her.

"Well, I for one, am very proud of Quinn. She is setting a very commendable example in which I think we should all follow." Rachel says proudly, placing one hand on Quinn's shoulder, which Quinn then politely shrugs off.

"But why'd you quit Cheerios?" Brittany asks, a sad expression on her face, "It was so much more fun with you there." she says softly, earning a glare from Santana.

"Being on the Cheerio, it brought out the worst in me." Quinn responds, grimacing at the memory. "You all remember, I was _not _a nice person. And Coach Sylvester just encouraged all that negativity. I knew that if I wanted a change, I'd have to quit. And besides, now that I'm no longer a Cheerio, I have more time to devote to Glee club."

"Which is _just_ what we need." Rachel nods, slapping her hand against the table. "With Nationals in New York this year, we need to be on our A-game."

"All I've got to say is good luck running for Prom Queen now, Q." Santana scoffs. "No one's going to vote for the girl who gave up being Queen bee for _no reason._"

Quinn raises her shoulders in a careless shrug. Being Prom Queen was the last thing on her mind. "It's just a plastic crown. It's not a big deal."

"Alright, seriously?" Santana leans forward, incredulous. "Who are you and what have you done with Quinn Fabray?" she demands. "Cause the Quinn Fabray I know would sooner eat her own arm off before saying something like that."

Quinn rolls her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you, Santana?" she sighs. "I changed over summer, I'm not the same girl from last year. And if you can't handle that then I don't know what to tell you."

Santana falls back against her seat, arms crossed, and just before the table has to suffer through a moment of awkward silence, Kurt comes to over to the table. "For the first time in my life, I am grateful, so utterly grateful, that I go to McKinley High School." he announces, looking dazed as he pulled up a chair and took a seat.

"What are you talking about, lady lips?" Santana snaps, her eyes narrowing in on him.

"The new guy." Kurt explains, stressing each word for added dramatic effect.

"You mean, Sam?" Mercedes frowns. "Gee, Kurt, you already forgot his name?"

"_Not Sam_," Kurt sighs, exasperated, with a roll of his eyes. "He is so five minutes ago."

Rachel's brow furrows in confusion. "Then _who_ are you talking about? Last time I checked, Sam is the only new kid at this school."

"Is he imaginary? Cause if he is, then maybe he knows my imaginary friend, Mr. Squiggles." Brittany speaks up, earning a confused look from everyone at the table.

Kurt, not even bothering to dignify that with a response, shakes his head and looks to the others. "I just saw him in Figgin's office. He's gorgeous."

"What does he look like exactly?" Mercedes asks, chuckling at the way Kurt was acting.

"I'm afraid I don't know." he says regrettably. "I only saw his backside."

"Then how do you know he's gorgeous?" Tina asks skeptically.

Kurt sighs heavily. "Fine, let me rephrase, _his backside is gorgeous._" The girls all chuckle.

"Do you think he's gay?" Rachel asks him quietly. She hoped for Kurt's sake that he was. She knew how lonely he's been lately.

"I don't think so. My gaydar didn't go off at all, but who knows,…there could be hope."

"Do you know his name?" Brittany asks.

Kurt shakes his head again. "Unfortunately no. But be on the lookout for guy with tousled brown hair, over six feet tall, and with the greatest butt you will ever see on the male body...in jeans, that is." he adds.

As the others share a laugh, Quinn quietly gets up and gathers up her lunch tray. "Where you going, Q?" Mercedes asks, her laughter dying down.

"Library." she replies. "I want to see if someone's turned in this book that I've been wanting to read."

Santana makes no attempt to hide her eye roll. "I'll see you guys later," Quinn says to the group, maneuvering in between the chairs. She was about to leave when she felt someone holding on to the back of cardigan. She frowns when she saw that it was Mercedes. "What?"

Mercedes gave her that knowing look. "Now I know you are not going to do what I think you're about to do." Quinn looks at her quizzically for a second before realizing where Mercedes' line of vision was on her tray.

"Oh, sorry." she apologizes, handing over her small plate of uneaten tater-tots to Mercedes.

"Girl, you know better than to waste them tots." Mercedes says, clicking her tongue reproachfully.

—

By the time lunch rolled around, Stefan had already compelled three random girls to meet him under the bleachers for a bite to eat. He was on his way to meet them now, just about to head outside, when he abruptly came across an incredibly intoxicating scent. He stops his movements, genuinely intrigued by powerful aroma that was practically calling to him, and quickly sets forth to find its source. He had no problem whatsoever adding a fourth girl to the roster.

It took him a matter of seconds to find the girl. A small blonde who was currently walking away from him down the hallway. He took a moment to look her up and down, and after he found himself pleased with what he saw (at least from this angle) he took off into the adjacent hallway, intending on heading her off.

Rounding the corner, he reverts to his usual casual pace as they head toward one another. She seemed to be in her own little world with her head downcast so she didn't notice him, even as he continued to grow closer.

Then, as if he had mentally told her to look up, she did. Her gaze met his and it only took a glimpse of those haunting green eyes for all thoughts of compulsion and blood to fade into nothingness. He could only comprehend one thing: that she had the most stunning eyes he'd ever seen.

The second his brain registered this thought though, he quickly pushed it out of his mind and straightened his posture. Thoughts like that were out of character for him. He had not had them for many, many years. Odd how a single girl could provoke such a thought from someone who prided himself in being emotionless.

The girl, having realized she was about to run into him, slowed her pace. Her delicate features showed slight confusion and as if on instinct she held her binder closer to her chest.

"Hello." he heard himself speak. He outstretched his hand, realizing what he was doing as he was doing it. This girl had a strange effect on him and needless to say he didn't like it one bit. He felt strangely vulnerable in her presence. "I'm Stefan. Stefan Salvatore. I'm new here."

The girl looked up at him unsurely, silently debating what to do, before reluctantly shaking his hand. "Hi. Uh, welcome to McKinley. It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise." he returns with practiced charm. Her hand still in his he takes the opportunity to bring hers up to his face, his lips lightly brushing across her knuckles. He can't help but smile when her cheeks go flush and she quickly takes back her hand. "I apologize if I made you uncomfortable."

Quinn can't help but shift uncomfortably under Stefan's gaze. However charming he was currently being, (and yes, Kurt was right about him being utterly gorgeous) he had a predatory glint to his eyes that was off-putting. Something about him was off. She didn't know what exactly, she just knew something wasn't quite right with him. It showed in his eyes. Something was missing.

She must have been staring at him, trying to figure it out what exactly, for too long because suddenly Stefan asked her, "Do I have something on my face?"

Quickly shaking her head, she blushes. "Oh, no. Sorry. I just…"

Stefan arches his left eyebrow skeptically, his head cocked to the side. "Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"No reason." she assures, still blushing furiously.

"Is it because I'm so incredibly good looking?" he smirks.

"Cockiness is not attractive." she tells him, uncomfortable with the position she's found herself in. She should have just kept walking.

"Neither is dressing like a prude from the 1950's." he replies without missing a beat, his gaze flickering down to her attire before meeting her shocked expression.

"Insulting people isn't the way you're going to make friends around here." she frowns, shifting her weight uneasily.

"Who said anything about making friends?" Quinn reluctantly lifts her head and meets his gaze again at his scoff.

"Don't you want to make friends while you're here?"

Quinn watches him ponder her question for a moment, as if it was an incredibly thought provoking inquiry. "No. Not really. In my opinion friends are a pretty useless thing to have."

"Speaking as someone who doesn't have many friends, I presume?"

"Speaking as someone who doesn't have _any_ friends." he corrects. "And who is completely and utterly okay about it."

"That's unfortunate." she says truthfully, looking up at him sympathetically.

Stefan shrugs his shoulders carelessly, arms folding over his chest. "Yeah well that's life."

"But it doesn't have to be like that." she starts, confused by his incredibly detached attitude.

"But why would I have it any other way?" he inquires, looking at her intently.

She opens her mouth to say something but decides against it at the last second. "To each is own, I guess." she sighs, shaking her head, at a loss.

"Hey, Fabray!"

Though she should know better by now, Quinn turns her head and flinches as soon as she catches sight of Karofsky with a slushie in hand. He doesn't hit her with it through.

"Ha. Made you flinch." he snickers, shoving past her. She looks back at Stefan, who had a perplexed look on his face.

"Don't ask." she mutters just as Karofsky's booming voice comes from down the hall and yells, "Head's up Berry!"

Her head whips around in time to see Rachel getting a face full of cherry slushie. Her shoulders slump as she expels a sigh and when she hears Stefan snickering behind her, she sharply rounds on him. "It's not funny."

"It's pretty funny from where I'm standing." he responds, unabashedly chuckling.

She purses her lips together and throws him a disgusted look before turning on her heel to go help Rachel.

Stefan watches as the blonde walks away from him, the amused smile still playing across his lips. But, to his chagrin, it quickly fades as soon as she rounds the corner with her friend, disappearing out of sight. Though he was starting to hate himself for not compelling her, what bothered him more, surprisingly, was the fact that he hadn't gotten her name. Exhaling gruffly, he quickly shakes his head of these insane thoughts, and heads outside to meet his lunch.

—

"His name is Stefan Salvatore, he's a junior, he was home schooled his entire life, and he was born in Virginia." Rachel says very quickly upon entering the choir room the next morning.

"Easy, Berry, exhale before you explode." Santana says tiredly, it being way too early in the morning for her to even begin to tolerate the small brunette and all her nonsense.

Quinn watches in amusement as Rachel skips over to take a seat next to Kurt, much to his dismay. "I saw him leaving school yesterday and Kurt, let me tell you, you were right, he is all kinds of delicious."

"Who's delicious?"

Startled, Rachel whips her head around to see that Finn had just walked through the door. "Um, you are. Of course." she says quickly, standing up to peck his cheek. Finn relaxes at this and gives her one last smile before going over to the other side of the room to sit next to Sam and Mike.

"He is so gullible." Santana murmurs as soon as he would out of earshot.

"Yes, but I love him anyways." Rachel says promptly, turning back around to face the others. "Anyways, back to Stefan Salvatore. I snapped a picture of him before he left school, want to see?" she asks enthusiastically, plucking her phone from her school bag.

Mercedes shares a look with the others before shaking her head in disbelief. "Girl, you are all kinds of creepy." Rachel, of course, dismisses the comment and scrolls through her pictures. "Here." she says, holding up her phone for them all to see.

"Damn." was all Mercedes could say.

Santana peers over Kurt's shoulder to get a better look at the picture. "You were right, Lady Hummel, he is a fine piece of ass."

Kurt looks back at her, frowning. "Why the tone of surprise? I can spot a cute guy just as well as any of you ladies can."

Santana crosses her arms and snorts. "Need I remind you that the last guy you thought was cute was _Finn_?"

"Hey, that's my boyfriend you're talking about." Rachel reprimands, taking her attention off her phone long enough to throw a glare Santana's way.

"Quinn, you didn't look at the photo. Don't you want to see the hot tamale?" Mercedes asks, passing the phone over to Tina.

"She doesn't need to see. She already knows how gorgeous he is." Rachel informs them, earning surprised looks from the others. "Before I got slushied yesterday, I saw her talking to him." she explains, making Quinn groan inside her head.

"Well, what's he like?" Tina asks encouragingly, eager for the dirt.

Quinn reluctantly closes the book in her lap and turns around in her chair. "He's a bit of a jerk." she admits hesitantly, knowing well enough that this wasn't what they'd want to hear. "He's cocky and well, I just got a bad vibe off him."

"Why is it that all the good looking guys are such douche bags?" Mercedes sighs, falling back against her seat, dismayed.

"Not _all_ good looking guys are like that, Mercedes." Tina disagrees, her gaze flickering over to Mike.

Before the matter could be discussed any further, Mr. Schuester entered the room. "All right guys!" he says enthusiastically, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "Day one of our Duets competition is a go! Who's up first?" He looks to everyone expectantly and it takes all but second before Mercedes raises her hand. "We are Mr. Schue."

"Alright!" he exclaims, quickly moving to take a seat in the audience while Santana and Mercedes took to the center of the floor, everyone already cheering encouragingly for their glee-mates.

"You might as well give us our gift certificates to Breadstix now Mr. Schue. I mean just to save time and save everyone else of utter humiliation of when you do call our names as the winners." Santana says confidently before cuing the band.

As Santana and Mercedes performed their rendition of _River Deep, Mountain High, _Quinn found herself tapping her foot along to the beat, beaming as they absolutely killed their performance. Her gaze wavered from them momentarily, where then she inadvertently locked eyes with Sam. He gave her a bright smile and she returned the favor before reverting her attention.

_Maybe I should ask Sam to be my duet partner, but make it clear that I just want to be friends. _She mulls this thought over after glee as she heads toward her next class. She continues this debate in her head but then stops abruptly upon seeing Stefan walking down the hall, coming towards her.

She does her best to ignore the tingling sensation that takes residence in her stomach at the mere sight of him. She hasn't decided if it was a good thing yet or bad. She manages to keep walking though and when they pass each other in the hallway, she does so without so much as a second glance his way. It doesn't even occur to her that all thoughts of Sam had completely left her mind.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Reviews are greatly appreciated!<strong>


	3. Let The Flames Begin

**AN: Read. Enjoy. Review!**

* * *

><p>From Stefan's new sound system The Beatle's <em>I Want You (She's so Heavy) <em>plays loudly, echoing off the walls of his newly furnished house. It hadn't been difficult for him to obtain a house in town. With the ever so useful compulsion all he had to do was sign a piece of paper and this nice two-story house was all his.

Rolling over, he pins his current companion down onto the couch, smirking as her back arches up to meet his, pushing her chest into his. With one hand he pushes her back down, having already

satisfied _that_ hunger last night. Now it was time to satisfy the _other_ one.

Giving himself over to his true self, he allows the veins beneath his eyes to become visible, his pupils dilating, before displaying the razor sharp fangs that had forced their way out of his gums.

The girl's heart starts to race beneath him, her form trembling in his firm grasp. He watches her silently for a moment. He hadn't compelled this girl to not be afraid like he usually did. He wanted her to be afraid of him.

Leaning down, he chastely presses a kiss to the side of her neck and then, with one last horrifying grin, bites down. He drinks greedily from her, ignoring her cries and screams and pulls of his hair. He merely chuckles and holds her down even harder.

After drinking his fill he, for the first time in a very long time, pulls away and retracts his fangs.

He would leave her alive, for now.

Sitting back up, he licks his lips, then turns and pats her knee. "You better hurry up, darling, you wouldn't want to be late for your early morning cheerleading practice, now would you?"

He pushes himself off the couch and plucks the scarf off the coffee table in front of him. He turns around to face her just as she's staggering to get back onto her own two feet. When she's finally standing upright, she meets his gaze with wide eyes full of fear.

"Don't worry, you aren't going to die today." he reassures her, gently wrapping the scarf around her neck and neatly tying it. "I'll see to it that when you _do_ die, that all of your friends die too, that way you won't be alone. Promise."

The young cheerleader swallows hard and Stefan just chuckles. She bristles when he takes a step closer to her but he doesn't pay it any attention. He places a firm hand on her shoulder, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "Now I want you to go to school. Forget ever meeting me and forget ever being at this house, understood?"

As soon as the girl's out the door, Stefan locks the door behind her and heads up to his room, still licking his lips of her sweet taste. Still with more than enough time before he has to leave for school, he walks over to his desk where all sorts of papers and clippings were sprawled out all over. One particularly important sheet of paper takes up the majority of his desk: the floor plans of McKinley High School. He sits down and examines it once more even though he had already memorized every inch of the place. He had to, after all, if he planned on massacring the entire student body.

—

Stefan's at his locker, plucking the necessary textbook from it, when he picks up on footsteps coming toward him. A few seconds later a burly football player is forcing himself into Stefan's line of view. Two of them actually. "Sup new kid." one greets in a sneering mode. Stefan quickly recognizes this kid to be the same jock that had thrown that so-called 'slushie' at the small brunette yesterday. The other one he had only ever seen in passing.

"Can I help you?" he inquires tonelessly, already bored.

"My boy Karofsky here saw you talking to Quinn Fabray yesterday and seeing as how she's in _glee club_. We were wondering if you're in it too, cause if you are…" Sharing a smirk with this 'Karofsky' person, the two jocks lift up their right hands, which Stefan just realizes held two Big Gulp cups. "Then we'll have to induct you in _properly_."

Though tempted to just say he was in this _glee club _just so see Karofsky's attempt at throwing that slushie at him, Stefan decides against it, because if he tried, he was pretty sure he would just snap the kid's neck out of annoyance.

"If you want to put that slushie to proper use, I'm pretty sure that brunette you slushied yesterday around here somewhere." he responds dryly, not at all fazed by their threat. "And I'm not a part of glee club and frankly, I don't even really know what glee is. But whatever it is, sounds pretty gay to me."

Karofsky and his friend share a look with one another, before speaking up, already nodding his approval. "You're alright." He gestures to his buddy next to him. "This is Azimio. I'm Dave, but everyone round here calls me Karofsky."

"Stefan Salvatore." Stefan replies, nodding his head even though he has no intentions of making friends with these stupid kids.

"So Salvatore, you play any sports?" Karofsky asks, looking him up and down.

"I've played football before." he casually replies. Over a century ago, but still….

Karofsky nods his head in approval. "You should try out for the team this year. We could use some fresh meat on the team."

Azimio agrees. "Yeah, we've got a bunch of glee club homos on our team that really are bringing us down."

"I'll think about it." Stefan tells him, his gaze drifting over Azimio's to where Quinn was coming down the hallway. Quinn. Quinn Fabray. It was a name that suited her perfectly. He was glad he finally knew her name seeing as how not knowing has been aggravating the hell out of him since yesterday. And that fact alone that he was getting aggravated over something so stupid as a name just caused him further aggravation.

"Hey, Salvatore." came Azimio's voice, breaking him from his thoughts.

He looks back at the jock, mildly annoyed at the interruption. "What?"

Azimio and Karofsky exchange knowing glances before Azimio says with a smirk, "I dare you to slushie Fabray over there."

Stefan can't help but stare at them like the idiots that they were. _What was this, third grade? Did he really just dare him? _

Shaking off the thought, he takes the slushie out of Karofsky's hand. "What the hell." he shrugs, walking over to a completely oblivious Quinn, who had her nose buried in some book.

Stifling a chuckle, he quickly yells, "Head's up!" before throwing the slushie into her face. He hears her gasp just as her things fall to the ground, but he doesn't turn around to see his handy work. He just continues down the hallway with a self-satisfied smile on his face.

—

Quinn had been in the middle of reading in Harper Lee's _How to Kill a Mockingbird_, ignoring the ongoing commotion that usually when on in the hallways when all of a sudden she heard someone say, "Head's up!"

Like an idiot, she lifts her gaze from her book only to be met with an ice cold blueberry slushie to the face. She staggers back, gasping as the freezing liquid numbed her face and burned her eyes.

She quickly wipes the substance out of her eyes, expecting Karofsky or Azimio to have been the culprits, but instead, as she turns around to see who it had been, she realizes it had been Stefan Salvatore. She shakes her head, partially in disbelief, and partially to get the slushie chunks out of her hair. She most definitely wasn't expecting that, from him, of all people.

"Quinn, are you okay?" asks a concerned voice. She turns back around to see an astounded Sam standing there.

"I'm great." she sighs, brushing the slushie bits off her shoulders. "Just great."

"Here, uh, let me help you." Sam offers instinctively, bending down to pick up her fallen things before abruptly taking her hand and leading her down the hall and…into the girl's restroom.

"You do realize that you're in the girl's restroom, right?" she says, still trying to blink away the syrup currently burning her corneas.

"It's not like anyone's in here." he replies, balancing her things on the edge of one of the sinks before heading towards the paper towel dispenser and grabbing a bunch.

She graciously takes the paper towels he hands her. "Thanks. The blueberry flavor's always the worst." she says, cringing as she does her best to rid her dress of the impending slushie stains before they settled. "The blue stains are the hardest to get out."

"That's good to know." Sam says quietly, his hand hesitantly coming up to wipe away the slushie on her face. She doesn't mind it though. "It sucks getting slushied." he murmurs, gently brushing the coarse paper across her cheek.

Surprised, she lifts her gaze from her dress and meets his. "You mean they already got you?" He hasn't even been in glee a week and already he was victim to the slushie facials.

Sam nods sheepishly, balling up the dirty paper towel and tossing it in the trash. "It's a lot worse than I imagined it to be. But I can't complain that much. I got cherry."

She smiles weakly, her gaze dropping back down to her dress. The stains of which refused to come out. She sighs heavily in defeat. "Well, I guess I'm stuck wearing this for the rest of the day." Lovely.

"I wish I had something for you, but I don't usually carry a dress and cardigan in my backpack."

She tosses the rest of the paper towels in the trash and shakes her head. "It's okay." she assures, walking around him to grab her things. "I usually have an extra pair of clothes - once you join Glee you learn to keep them in your locker - but I've completely forgotten about bringing some…Is something wrong?" she asks, just noticing how he was staring at her, seemingly not paying attention to a word she was saying.

Sam blushes furiously and shakes his head quickly, his bangs falling in front of his eyes. "No. Nothing's wrong. It's just…Lor Menari."

Unfamiliar with the language, if it was one, Quinn stares up at him quizzically, silently asking for clarification.

"Lor Menari." he says again, as if repeating it would help clear things up. "It means you have pretty eyes. It's Na'vi…the Avatar language." Cringing slightly, Sam shuffles his feet with embarrassment. "Yeah, I know. I'm a complete dork."

"But a cute one." she assures, smiling lightly.

Sam grins for a moment before his features turn serious. "Can I ask you a question?"

Quinn readjusts her bag on her shoulder and nods. "Sure. But it isn't going to be one about Avatar, right?" she asks, making a slight face. "Cause truthfully, I have yet to see that movie." Though in all honesty she had no intention to. Science-fiction wasn't exactly her thing.

Sam stares at her with his mouth agape for a second before shaking his head. "No, it's not. It's about Glee." he starts. "I just, well seeing as how Kurt has decided to go solo on this whole duets competition…"

"By the way, how is that even possible?" she asks, chuckling at the reminder. Sam shrugs, chuckling along with her.

"Anyways, seeing as how _I_ don't have a partner and _you_ don't have a partner…I was thinking we could maybe, you know, team up on this assignment…as friends, of course." he quickly adds, his eyes going wide.

She thinks it over for, like a second, before agreeing. "Okay." she nods, having already decided she would approach Sam with the idea anyways.

"Really?" Sam looks at her, brows raised.

"It would be nice to get a free meal at Breadstix." she smiles, still nodding. "But it would be even nicer to beat Finn and Rachel, don't you think?" she says lightheartedly, raising a playful brow.

"That would be pretty awesome, seeing as how I'm new to the club." he admits, grinning.

"It would definitely make quite the first impression on everyone." she adds, knowing Sam hadn't exactly made a lot of friends yet.

When the bell rings, it startles them both.

"Well I guess we should head to class." she states, shifting awkwardly and gesturing to the door. "Would you mind if I hung out with you at lunch?" Sam asks shyly, following her to the door. "I already have some ideas for our duet…"

"Okay, that sound's good." she nods, leading him out into the hallway. "Meet me in the library, okay? I'll see you later."

—

En route to his next class, Stefan sharply turns the corner only to collide with someone. Disgruntled, he looks down to see that it was that short brunette, Quinn's friend, that had been slushied yesterday.

"Excuse you!" the small girl huffs, pushing herself off the floor and brushing off her skirt. He hadn't even realized that he'd knocked her down until then. "Watch where you're going!"

She lifts her head and he watches curiously as her brown eyes widen with surprise. "I suggest that _you_ watch where you're going." he retorts.

"Stefan Salvatore." Rachel's arms fold over her chest. "Word spreads fast about new students." she explains, catching his questioning glance. "My name is Rachel Berry."

She extends her hand to him but he opts against it. She drops her hand and lifts her chin defiantly. "Anyways, I would say it has been a pleasure meeting you, but it wasn't. Now if you'll excuse me I need to get going, I need to get in some extra rehearsal time with my boyfriend."

"Rehearsal? Is that what they call having sex at school these days?" he questions, unable to help the way his lips quirk.

"No, of course not!" Rachel says quickly, her cheeks flushing at the insinuation. "For your information, I am in the glee club and we are-"

"What the hell is glee club anyways?" he interrupts rudely. It seems this glee club was notorious at this school.

Rachel rolls her eyes and sighs. "It's a club where students get together and perform. We are a very unappreciated little group, which is sad seeing as how we're overflowing with impeccable talent, mainly from me, and have accomplished so much in a short amount of time. In fact -"

"Wow. No wonder those jocks like to slushie you every chance they get. You are _really _annoying." he comments, actually a little surprised at just how much so.

"Quinn was right, you are a jerk."

Stefan lifts his eyebrow at the mention of the pretty blonde. "Quinn was talking about me?" He can't help but smirk.

"Don't get your hopes up, Salvatore, she had nothing nice to say about you." Rachel promptly informs him, glaring profusely. "At all."

Stefan shrugs his shoulders, unaffected. "I really could care less." he says honestly.

"You're a horrible liar."

He arches his eyebrow in surprise while Rachel just stands there, her hands firmly planted on her small hips, poised for a retaliation.

"Hey, what's going on?" comes a voice, breaking the tension. Stefan turns his head to see a boy, around his height, with boyish features and wearing a letterman's jacket.

"Hello, Finn." Rachel chirps, brushing past Stefan to properly greet her boyfriend. "Stefan this is my boyfriend, Finn Hudson, _quarterback _of the football team and _male lead _in New Directions. Finn this is Stefan Salvatore, he's new."

Finn looks over at him and smiles. "Nice to meet you, man." he nods.

"Likewise." Stefan says unenthusiastically.

Rachel focuses her attention back onto Finn. "We should get going, we need to practice our duet." Finn nods in agreement before looking to Stefan. "See you later."

Before the duo has the chance to walk away, Stefan calls out to Rachel. "By the way, Rachel, if you're going to try and take someone's picture without their notice, you might want to try and be a little more sneaky about it." he advises, brushing past a stunned Rachel and continuing on his way.

—

"I still can't believe Stefan slushied you." Mercedes brings up, shaking her head as she and Quinn approach their usual table. The rest of the glee girls, and Kurt, were already there and digging into their respective lunches.

"You know I have some extra clothes in my locker if you would like to change, Quinn." Rachel offers, nodding toward her ruined dress.

Santana rolls her eyes from across the table. "Yeah I really doubt Q wants to be seen walking around in one of your weird schoolgirl fetish outfits." she snaps, making Rachel frown.

"Thanks for the offer, Rachel, but my dress is dry now, so I'm good." she smiles, taking a seat next to Tina.

"You know what's the worst part about Stefan?" Kurt starts, gaining everyone's attention.

"You mean besides the fact that he's a complete a-hole?" Rachel replies, stabbing her salad with her fork.

"Is that he's definitely not on 'team gay'." he continues, sighing dejectedly. "I saw him flirting with at least half a dozen girls today."

"And I wasn't one of them?" Santana scoffs, brow furrowing. "I am deeply insulted."

"How can you even care about a thing like that, Kurt?" Mercedes questions, looking at him expectantly. "After everything he did to Quinn!"

"And me!" Rachel interjects loudly. "I had a run in with him this morning and he knocked me down, _and_ insulted me!"

"Well now there's one thing I like about Stefan." Santana smirks, earning a few hidden smiles from the others.

Kurt sighs heavily. "I know and I'm sorry. It's just that, even though he's a jackass, it would've been nice to, for once, know that I wasn't the only gay kid in Lima." Everyone looks at him sympathetically and Mercedes reaches out and squeezes his shoulder.

"By the way Q, where've you been?" Santana wonders, turning her attention to Quinn. "You're usually one of the first ones here."

"I was with Sam." she replies casually, snapping open the cap of her water bottle.

Everyone raises their eyebrows in surprise, Rachel looking at her with a confused expression. "Wait I thought you weren't into leading Sam on."

"Yeah, what happened to _not wanting a relationship?_" Santana mocks.

"I'm not and I don't. Sam and I are just friends." she clarifies. "We've just decided to team up for the duets competition after all." She shrugs her shoulders innocently.

"That's great! What are you guys going to sing?" Tina inquires.

"It's a secret." she teases.

"Doesn't matter what you sing blondie, cause 'Cedes and I have this thing in the bag." Santana says knowingly, sharing a smirk with Mercedes.

—

As Santana heads down the hallway toward her last class of the day, she makes a habit of glaring at anyone who dares to make eye contact with her, just to keep herself entertained. She was nearly at her class when she suddenly caught sight of Brittany talking and giggling with one Stefan Salvatore by her locker.

Fury sweeps over her then as she makes her way over to the pair, poised and ready to go for the kill if necessary. "Hey, San." Brittany greets brightly when she reaches them. Unsurprisingly the blonde was oblivious the daggers she was glaring at Stefan.

"Britt, you mind going to my locker and getting my history book for me, please?" she asks politely. Brittany, of course, nods and shuts her locker. "No problem. I'll meet you in class." Before she leaves though, she looks to Stefan. "Bye Stefan I have to go. Now remember, to get the gnomes from under your bed to leave, you just have to bribe them with ravioli."

"Thanks for the advice, Brittany." Stefan smiles, nodding appreciatively. "See you later."

Santana waits until Brittany's out of sight before rounding on Stefan. "Alright what were you doing talking to her?" she demands.

"Who are you?"

"Santana Lopez." she says, scoffing at the very idea that someone didn't know who she is. "And don't you forget it."

Stefan sighs heavily. " Let me guess. You're in glee club too. I seem to be making a lot of enemies with you lot."

"Yeah well when you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us. So stay the hell away from Brittany and the rest of glee before I go all Lima Heights on your stupid gaudy ring wearing ass. Seriously what's up with that thing?" she questions sharply, gesturing to the ring he wore on his finger. "It's tacky as hell, you know that?"

"It's a family heirloom."

"Whatever. Moral of the story: You better watch yourself, Salvatore. You do _not_ want me as an enemy. Trust me."

"You know you really shouldn't threaten people you don't know." Stefan says as a warning, his gaze darkening.

Santana scoffs, unthreatened by his remark. "Just cause you're good looking doesn't mean I won't bust up yo' grill, Salvatore. Now get out of my face afores I end ya."

"You two get to class!" yelled the unmistakable voice of one Sue Sylvester. Santana internally groans as her coach makes her way over to them.

"Well if it isn't sandbags," she says snidely, stopping in front of them and glaring. She notices the unfamiliar presence of Stefan and her eyes narrow suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"Stefan Salvatore, ma'am." he answers with insincere graciousness.

"It was a rhetorical question, James Dean." Coach Sylvester snaps. "I don't care. You know, you look a lot like that kid from those ridiculously horrible so-called _vampire_ movies that are so popular with the kids these days. And no, that wasn't a compliment."

"Didn't think so."

"Anyways, get to class to the both of you. My retinas are tired of having to stare at your ugly faces for so long." She throws them one last glare before stalking off in the other direction, on the hunt for other students she could terrorize.

—

"Okay, I guess that wraps up today's meeting." Quinn speaks up, adjourning the Celibacy Club meeting with a smack of her gavel against the desk. "Have a good afternoon everyone." "Celibacy, kids, dig it!" Ms. Pillsbury reaffirms brightly, handing out colorful pamphlets on abstinence, entitled _Sex equals Death_, to the few members of the Celibacy Club on their way out the door.

Being that Ms. Pillsbury was the only adult virgin Quinn knew of, Quinn figured she would be the perfect candidate for the club's adult supervisor. Ms. Pillsbury really knew how to scare kids away from sex but usually it was just those pamphlets she handed out that did the trick.

"I'll see you later, Quinn." Ms. Pillsbury says to her, neatly putting away the rest of the pamphlets in her bag. "I'm due at a faculty meeting in a few minutes."

"See you, Ms. P." Quinn nods, still in the midst of gathering her own things as well.

"So you're the president of the celibacy club." a new voice drawls, mildly startling Quinn. Ms. Pillsbury had just left the room. She reluctantly lifts her head and purses her lips at the sight of Stefan leaning against the doorway. "Wow…_really_ didn't see that one coming."

"Stefan, what are you doing here?" Her eyebrow quirks. "Don't tell me you plan on joining?"

Stefan pushes himself off the wall with a snort. "Hardly. I enjoy sex way too much to ever give it up."

"Then what pray tell are you doing here?" She has no idea why she's trying to engage him in conversation - the questions just flow right out of her mouth. "Did you come here to give me another slushie facial or just to gloat about it?"

Out of the corner of her eye she catches sight of Stefan pulling out one of the seats and sitting down on it. "Neither."

"Why did you slushie me in the first place anyways?" She needs to know. She stops what's she's doing and turns around to fully regard him. "I did nothing to you."

"I heard that slushieing members of the Glee Club is kind of the custom around here, so I figured I'd give it a go." he shrugs, leaning back in his chair and kicking his feet up onto the table. "Unfortunately you just happened to be my first victim."

"I can see that you're _so_ torn up with guilt about it." she says sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"Oh darn, you noticed." he groans, snapping his fingers mockingly. "And besides, you called me a jerk."

"Excuse me?"

"According to Rachel Berry, who by the way, is incredibly annoying - I don't know how you stand her - she just happened to mention that you had called me a jerk, which I believe is really an unkind thing for you to say."

"Giving someone a slushie facial is also a really unkind thing for you to do." she retorts, crossing her arms defensively.

"Yeah well an eye for an eye."

"Leaves the whole world blind." she quotes, rolling her eyes before heading out the door. To her dismay, Stefan quickly gets out of his chair and follows her.

"You know, it's really rude to walk out of a conversation."

Quinn has to fight the urge to roll her eyes again. "Sorry, I thought you could tell by my tone of voice that I was done participating in this conversation."

"Do I irritate you, Quinn?" Stefan smirks, coming up to walk along side her.

"Well I'd be lying if I said you didn't." she responds, pushing the school exit door open.

"Well, at least you're honest."

Quinn looks back at him, frowning quizzically. "Is there a reason as to why you're following me?"

"Just because I happen to have the same destination as you do does not mean I'm following you." Stefan scoffs. "Don't flatter yourself, Fabray."

Shaking her head, she simply opts to keep walking, hoping he'll take the hint and leave her alone. "What's your hurry?" he questions, quickening his pace to keep up with her.

"If you must know, I have a tutoring session at the local middle school, that I'm already late for, thank you very much." she responds, digging through her bag for her car keys.

"A high school junior taking a tutoring session from a middle schooler? I guess my initial judgment of you was right. You are a dumb blonde."

Lord help me… "_I_ am the one doing the tutoring." she corrects, doing her best to keep her cool. "I tutor underprivileged kids a few days out of the week after school."

"You're such a saint." he mocks. Something which seems to be a hobby of his, she's realized.

"Goodbye, Stefan." she says tiredly, thankful that she's reached her car and could finally get away from him.

—

"To us!" Sam cheers, lifting up his glass of root beer in a toast. "To winning the first glee competition of the year and successfully beating Finn and Rachel."

Quinn beams and raises her glass to his, still in awe that she and Sam had actually _won_ the Duets competition. "I still can't believe what they did for their performance." she says, taking back her glass and sipping from it. "It was almost like self-sabotage." Her brow furrows in thought. Do you think they did it on purpose?"

Sam shrugs the question off. "Who cares! We won!" he exclaims, still smiling like crazy. "How awesome does this feel? Man, I never want this feeling to go away!"

Quinn laughs, nodding in agreement. "I admit it does feel nice to finally succeed in glee club after a year of being in the background."

"Something which I still don't get." Sam comments, shaking his head. "You have an _incredible_ voice. "You should be getting solos like every week."

"You're too sweet." she says, smiling bashfully. "But I have a feeling this year Finn's going to have some serious competition in the male lead category." she teases, nodding at him. "You have a fantastic voice that most guys would kill to have."

"Man, only you can make me blush like a little girl." he says embarrassedly, ducking his head down, his face quickly reddening.

"I think it's adorable." she assures. "You know what else I think is adorable?"

Sam looks back at her and shakes his head, cheeks still adorably pink. "What?"

Quinn smiles mischievously as she leans forward, whispering, "The fact that you squeeze lemon juice on your hair."

Sam's eyes nearly bug out of their sockets right then and there. "H-How did you know?"

Quinn settles back down in her seat, laughing. "Kurt's not the only one with a sixth sense. Unfortunately he can't tell hair dye from good ol' lemon juice and apparently doesn't know its affects on blondes. But don't worry," she assures, holding up her right hand. "Your secret's safe with me"

"I can't believe you found out!" Sam murmurs, still shaking his head.

"I'm a girl, I know all the hair tricks!" she chuckles, shrugging her shoulders innocently.

Sam groans. "You probably think I've even more of a dork now than I was before."

Quinn purses her lips together in attempt to hide her smile. "Well, just a little…"

Sam scoffs at her. "Jee, thanks!"

Stefan listens in on the two blondes' conversation from a few tables over. He had come to Breadstix intent on picking up some dinner (and he didn't mean actual food) only to catch a whiff of Quinn's scent the second he pulled into the parking lot. He had almost immediately spotted her, smiling and laughing, with some big lipped blonde boy. Clenching his jaw as her laughter, _their_ laughter, continues to fill his ears, he sharply rises from his seat and left the restaurant.

He hated how he could get so worked up over something so trivial as a pretty girl. He was a ripper for Christ's sake. He didn't feel. He wasn't supposed to feel. Yet here he was having to force down these strange feelings that were coursing through his veins ever since he had encountered that blasted girl.

Beyond frustrated, he compels the first group of girls he sees out in the parking lot, his thirst reaching new heights just as it always did when he was in a foul mood. Needless to say, he doesn't spare any of their lives that night and he sure as hell doesn't spare them a slow and painful death.


	4. The Only Exception

Thankful that school was finally out for the day, Stefan eagerly makes his way toward the nearest exit, more than ready for the weekend to start. As he walks down the hallway, he spots Quinn at her locker, conversing with that blonde boy from Breadstix. A pang of jealously shoots through him then but he forces himself to keep on walking. He really needed to get a hold of himself.

Though he does his best to resist the temptation to stop and talk to her, he's ultimately incapable of fighting the urge. As soon as the blond kid disappears around the corner, leaving Quinn alone at her locker, Stefan makes his way over to her.

"Hey, you." he greets casually.

A small sigh escapes her before Quinn turns her attention toward him. "And I was having such a good day."

"Nice to see you too, sweetheart." he smirks, leaning against the row of lockers with his arms crossed. As if on cue Quinn rolls her eyes and goes back to sorting through her things.

"So I see you've been spending a lot of time with that kid with the freakishly large mouth." he brings up, watching for her reaction out of the corner of his eye.

"His name is Sam." she exhales, her voice tight with displeasure.

"He doesn't exactly look like your type." he comments, straightening up when she slams her locker shut.

"And since when are you an expert on preferences?" she questions sharply, walking past him. He turns around and doesn't hesitate to follow her.

"I'm not. I just heard you two were getting close and well, I don't want you to your precious little heartbroken by some guy who _clearly_ plays for the other team." Stefan pauses to push the door open for her. "And besides I thought you people were all against gay people."

"You people?" Quinn repeats, incredulous. "Really? First of all just because I'm a Christian does not mean that I'm against gay people. And second, for your information, Sam isn't gay. And even if he was, it wouldn't matter. I would still be his friend and that's what we are now _just friends._"

"Really?" His eyebrow quirks disbelievingly. "Because it didn't look that way the other night at Breadstix. You two looked like you were on a date."

"We won a duets competition in glee club and the prize was a free dinner to Breadstix." she explains, her frown deepening by the second. "And how did you know we were there? Don't tell me you've started stalking me now."

Stefan rolls his eyes dramatically. "I just happened to be at the restaurant the same time you were, Fabray. It's probably not news to you but Breadstix happens to be the only restaurant in this god forsaken town with edible food." he says, raising his shoulders. "And believe me, if I were to spend my precious time stalking someone, I would stalk someone a lot hotter than you."

"Goodbye Stefan." she says tiredly, decidedly ignoring his comment all together. "Have a good weekend."

Stefan watches her go, his gaze lingering on her a lot longer than it should have.

—

Late Saturday night, Stefan exits the Lima Community Hospital carrying a duffel bag full of blood bags. Even though he preferred his blood at a warm 98.6 degrees, he had figured he ought to store up for those nights when he didn't feel like going out and catching his prey. Tonight just happened to be one of those nights.

He's in the middle of pulling out his car keys when the wind picks up and carries a familiar scent that has him stopping in his tracks. Without even thinking about it, he alters his course and follows the scent around to the front of the hospital. He spots _her_ almost immediately and both his mind and body react to the sight of her in the strangest ways. He doesn't want to think about it though so he willfully banishes all those thoughts from his brain.

"You know, it isn't safe for a girl like yourself to be standing out here all by herself in the dark." he calls out to her, making his way over to the curb where she stood. "Especially with a supposed psychopath on the loose."

She turns around at the sound of his voice. "You sound like Rachel." she says, shaking her head briefly. She looks at him curiously. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

"I could ask you the same thing." he returns, setting down his duffel back at his feet.

"I volunteer here on the weekends." she explains, glancing back at the parking lot, scanning the area for any oncoming cars.

"So you're a candy striper," he figures with a nod. "But where's your striped uniform?" he questions, his gaze flickering to her attire.

"Those uniforms were quite some time ago." she replies, lips quirking despite herself. The breeze picks up again and Quinn crosses her arms over her chest in response.

Stefan notices this and asks, "Need a ride home?" before he can stop himself.

"Thank you but no." she says politely, looking mildly surprised that he had even offered. "My father should be here any minute."

"Really, cause it seems like you've been waiting here an _awfully long time._" he speculates, gaze flickering to the empty parking lot.

"I'm good." she assures, shifting her weight in what he assumes is an attempt to keep warm. "But thanks again for the offer."

Shrugging to himself, Stefan reaches down and picks up his duffel. "Suit yourself. See you." he waves her off without a second glance and starts walking away. He only gets a few paces before he hears her call his name. If he hadn't been a vampire he probably wouldn't have heard it.

Fighting the smile that threatened to take over his face, he bite the inside of his cheek before turning back around. "Change your mind?"

She nods sheepishly, looking utterly adorable as she did so. He quickly scolds himself when he registers this thought.

—

"So what's in the duffel bag?" Quinn asks curiously, walking along side him as they cut through the parking lot toward his car.

"I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill you." he teases, smirking at her. "You could guess if you want." he offers after a pause. "Although I highly doubt you'll get it."

"I accept your challenge." Quinn says, eyes narrowed playfully. Stefan watches in amusement as she glances down at his duffel bag, biting her bottom lip in the process

"Let me guess. You decided to take all the tongue depressors so you could make a house out of them?"

She looks to him expectantly and he chuckles. He shakes his head. "Nah, if I had wanted to do that I just would've used popsicle sticks. Much more fun that way."

"Oh I got it." she snaps her fingers and then points at him. "You stole all the bedpans in the hospital."

Making the sound of a buzzer, Stefan shakes his head again. "Sorry, incorrect. You get one more try."

"Okay. Ooh, I got it this time. "You stole a heart because you finally realized that you lacked one."

His eyebrow quirks at that one. "Ouch. I'm impressed." he smirks, definitely pleasantly surprised by that answer.

Her smile falters almost automatically. "I'm sorry." Quinn quickly apologizes. "That was mean."

Stefan shrugs it off as he pulls his keys out of his pocket again. "Don't apologize. I never do." He stops in front of his car and can't help but smile proudly at Quinn's sudden change in expression.

"My pride and joy." he nods, opening up the passenger side door of his Chevy Impala and gesturing her to get in.

Once they're both in and he starts the car, Stefan turns down the radio and begins to pull out of his parking space. "So do you live far?"

Quinn shakes her head. "No. Once you get out onto the main road, just go down until you hit Wilson Avenue and then take a left."

Stefan nods and after that the two of them fall into a contented silence, the music playing from the radio acting as a buffer.

Out of the corner of his eye, Stefan looks over at Quinn, then allows his gaze to drift down to her bag that was in between them. He plucks the book peeking out of her bag without hesitation and holds it up, still mindful of the road. "_How to Kill A Mockingbird._" he reads out loud, prompting Quinn to turn away from her window and quickly take her book back.

"Didn't figure you for much of a reader." he comments.

"It's on my list." she says quietly, gently tucking her book back where it belonged.

"What list?" he asks, brow furrowed.

"My list of a hundred books to read before I die." she explains, shifting slightly in her seat..

"Well at least you have plenty of time to read them all." he responds, turning his attention back onto the road. Quinn kept quiet but he didn't think anything of it.

"So what's your story?" he asks after a bit, looking to her expectantly.

"I could ask you the same thing." she says instead, deflecting the question.

"You first." he says, shaking his head at her attempt. "Although I kind of already know it."

Even from the corner of his eye he could see her eyebrow arch. "Oh you do, do you?"

"You're the goody two shoes of McKinley high school. You're president of the celibacy club and a part of the glee club. You're unpopular, even though you hang out with two of the most popular girls in school who also happen to be in glee club. You like to tutor kids and volunteer at the local hospital on weekends _for fun. _You always wear dresses and you always wear this." When he comes up to the stoplight, he reaches over and lifts up the small golden cross necklace that she always wore around her neck.

Her body stiffens at the contact. "Please don't act like you know me." she murmurs, gently pushing his hand away.

"So I presume that you don't care what people think about you?"

"No." she says honestly, shaking her head. "At least not any more."

Giving her a questioning look, he asks, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means I wasn't always like this. Freshman and sophomore year I was head Cheerio, most popular girl in school, was dating the quarterback of the football team…" Clearing her throat, she swiftly looks away.

"Sounds like you had it all. What changed?"

"I did. Over summer, I realized I wasn't _that_ girl. I didn't want to be the mean girl who looked down on others, who gave them slushie facials just because they were deemed beneath me. I surrounded myself with so much negativity that I in turn became a negative person who really didn't care how others felt or how my actions affected them." she explains, fiddling with the hem of her dress all the while. "So I quit Cheerios, started volunteering, I went to church more often, and focused on becoming a better person."

"So commendable." he murmurs, his gaze falling back to the road.

"Mock me all you want." she replies with a shrug, "But I'm happy with my life and I'm happy with the person I've become. That's all that really matters."

Stefan purses his lips together, his fingers drumming against the steering wheel. Finally he came out with it. "Sorry for judging you."

"What happened to never apologizing?" Quinn questions him, her head slightly tilted to the side.

"You're the exception, I guess." he shrugs, all the while wondering what the hell was wrong with him.

He glances over at her again, despite his better judgment, and finds Quinn smiling triumphantly to herself. "42." she whispers, her voice barely audible.

"42." Stefan's brow furrows. He looks over at her curiously. "What's 42?"

"42 is befriend someone I don't like." she says with a small smile.

Seeing how confused he still was, Quinn explains herself. "It's a to-do list, I have. Like spend a year in a Peace Corps, make a medical discovery…"

"That's ambitious."

Ignoring him, she continues. "Be in two places at once. Get a tattoo…"

"What's number one?" he can't help but ask, his curiosity once again getting the better of him.

"I'd tell you but then I'd have to kill you." she recites teasingly making Stefan roll his eyes.

He sighs heavily. "Okay. So what kind of music do you like?"

"Mostly anything and everything," she admits with a quiet laugh, shrugging as Stefan begins flickering through the stations. "Being in glee has really broadened my taste in music. Who are your favorite artists?"

"Well, uh Bob Dylan, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Hendrix, Bon Jovi, those are the ones just off the top of my head."

Quinn beams at him. "I'm starting to like you more already."

Stefan, unable to even begin to process just how much seeing that smile of hers makes him feel, quickly reverts his attention to finding a suitable station. He gives up after a few minutes though, coming up with nothing particularly appealing. He leaves it on a random station playing The Band Perry's song _If I Die Young. _He figures it would be a song a girl her ages likes.

"You know when I first heard this song, I was surprised at the high expectations this girl has for when she dies. _Bury me in satin…lay me down on a bed of roses? _Really, a coffin isn't enough?" he says it jokingly but the humor apparently doesn't translate like it's supposed to.

"If you cared about someone and they died, wouldn't you want to fulfill their last wishes, no matter what they were, if that's what they wanted?" she questions, brow furrowed.

"Why would I go through all that extra trouble for someone who's dead? It's not like they'd know if I did it or not." he responds, frowning.

"They'd know." she assures quietly before looking back at him,. "If you don't mind my asking, why don't you have any faith?"

"There's too much bad shit in the world so why even bother?"

"Without suffering there would be no compassion."

"Yeah, well tell that to those who suffer." Turning into the residential area of Lima, he nods toward the fork in the road they were pulling up to. "Which way?"

"Take a right, it will be the second to the last house." she instructs, gathering up her bag in her lap.

"What if I told you that I wasn't human?" he brings up suddenly.

"Then I'd have to believe you were a little kooky." she giggles.

"What if I told you I was an angel? You believe in those, don't you?" he continues, barely stifling a chuckle.

"Yes, but you are _not_ an angel. Not even close to one." she laughs, opening the door when Stefan pulls up in front of her house.

"True but you have to admit I sure have the face of one." he points out, flashing her a megawatt smile.

"Goodnight, Stefan." she sighs, playfully rolling her eyes as she unbuckles her seatbelt.

"No problem." Stefan shakes his head and gets out of the car, opening up the passenger side door before Quinn could even touch the door handle.

She raises her eyebrow up at him, surprised as his speed, as she gets out of his car. "Uh, thank you for the ride. I really appreciate it."

Stefan nods silently, closing the door behind her. Though he doesn't exactly want her to leave, he knows better than to stay in her presence for too long. Already she was affecting him in ways he couldn't even begin to comprehend. Twenty minutes alone with her and she had him acting out of character, he didn't want to know what spending more time with her would do to him.

And yet, at the same time, he did.

—

"Ya'll better be on guard today." Mercedes warns upon entering the choir room first thing Monday morning. "The jocks have been slushieing people like _crazy_ today."

"It looks like you were able to avoid getting slushied." Sam comments as Mercedes takes a seat in front of himself and Quinn.

"Only cause I narrowly escaped." Mercedes responds, turning her head. "I was lucky…for now. But the others? Not so much."

Right on cue, Tina, Artie, Kurt, and Rachel walk into the room all with various degrees of slushie stained clothes. Quinn automatically went to help the girls while Sam and Mercedes helped Artie and Kurt.

"I don't understand what's gotten into them," Tina starts, wiping the syrup out of her burning eyes. "Did they introduce a new flavor down at the 7-11 or something?"

Kurt shrugs off his, now ruined, designer jacket. "Maybe it's mating season for them." he suggests, grimacing at the state of his jacket. "They were particularly vicious today. You don't suppose it's a full moon tonight?"

That whole day, all of glee club was on edge, especially Sam (who, unlike the others, was still getting used to the traumatic experience known as the slushie facials). But of course this fear could not keep him from becoming a target.

"I have a feeling the dye in those slushies mixed with the lemon juice I use is affecting my hair." he states seriously, walking alongside Quinn to her locker.

"Now that you mention it, your hair does look a little discolored." she teases, pretending to scrutinize his hair.

Sam's eyes widened with sheer horror. "I knew it. I, uh, gotta go." He bolts down the adjacent hallway without another word, leaving Quinn to stand there, completely taken aback.

"Wait, Sam!" she calls out after him. "I was just…joking." Shaking her head, she accepts the inevitable and continues toward her locker, still mildly chuckling to herself.

After she gets her locker open, she pulls one of her textbooks out of her bag and swaps it for another one. She was just in the middle of putting it back in her locker when all of a sudden someone yells, ""Hey Jesus Freak!"

Because she never learns, Quinn turns her head and is just in time to see Karofsky's hand retreat backwards, Big Gulp in hand. Knowing there was no time to run or simply duck, she shuts her eyes and tries to prepare herself for what's to come.

Only it never does. Instead she's met with the thunderous sound of someone being slammed into the lockers, the sound of which startled her so much that her eyes flew open of the own accord. The sight before was one she never expected to see in a million years. Stefan had Karofsky pinned against the lockers with the latter covered in the very slushie he had meant to throw at her.

"What the hell, man?" Karofsky yells, pushing Stefan off him with one forceful shove. "I thought you were one of us!"

"If you know what's good for you, you'll back off." Stefan warns, getting back in Karofsky's face without hesitation. Quinn just stands there, stunned at what was transpiring right in front of her.

"You keep sticking up for losers and you're gonna have a slushie facial everyday. Trust me." Karofsky growls, angrily shaking off some of the slushie.

Without difficulty, Stefan slams him back into the lockers, one hand wrapped around the jock's throat. "Now that sounded like a threat. And I know you didn't mean to threaten me, right David?" Stefan pulls back his grasp only to slam Karofsky back once again into the lockers.

"Stefan, let him go." Quinn pleads, suddenly fearful for David's life. Even if he was a bully, she didn't like how his face was turning purple.

Thankfully Stefan releases him per her request. "You are so dead Salvatore." Karofsky wheezes, all but sliding to the floor when Stefan was no longer holding him up. Out of instinct Quinn steps forward to offer a helping hand, only to have Stefan gently push her aside in the same second that Karofsky's fist connects with his jaw.

Like something out of a movie, Stefan bounces back from that powerful punch, seemingly unfazed by it. He wasn't even bleeding.

By now Quinn could see that a small crowd of students were beginning to form around them fight, including some Glee members. "Now you've really ticked me off." Stefan says, touching his jaw and rotating it. "You're going to wish you had backed down like I had advised you."

Karofsky lunges for Stefan in that moment, sending him both tumbling to the floor. Stefan recovers quickly, just like with the punch, and kicks Karofsky in the stomach.

"MAKE HIM BLEED!" someone in the crowd yells. If Quinn had known any better, she would've said that sounded a lot like Rachel.

As Karofsky staggers back to his feet, Stefan takes the opportunity to deliver another devastating blow, this time to his face. Quinn cringes at the sound of Stefan's fist colliding with Karofsky's nose. She had no doubt that Stefan had broken it.

The force of Stefan's punch was powerful enough to knock Karofsky out completely, the jock falling to the floor with a loud thud.

Without thinking, she gravitates to Stefan's side, placing a hand on his forearm as two of Karofsky's teammates went to the jock's aide. She watches them leave with Karofsky, presumably to the nurse's office. She finally releases the breath she had apparently been holding.

"Mr. Salvatore." Quinn whips around at the voice just as Stefan does and she swallows hard at the sight of Principal Figgins who, unsurprisingly was accompanied by Coach Sylvester.

"My office now." Figgins says sternly, beckoning to him. Stefan picks up his bag off the floor and as he passes Coach Sylvester, she says to him, glaring, "Edward Cullen. I knew you'd be trouble. I never trust people with so much product in their hair."

Stefan just looks at her before opting to follow Figgins back to his office. Coach Sylvester joins them, but not before yelling at everyone still lingering out in the halls. "Get to class you sad excuses for human life! Pretend you're being attacked by those rabid Justin Beiber fans and MOVE IT!"

—

After compelling Principal Figgins' to just give him a few detentions - he would've compelled him to forget the whole thing but he didn't want anyone to get suspicious, mainly Coach Sylvester - (There was something deeply unsettling about that woman) Stefan exits his office, only to find Quinn waiting for him outside in the hall. He raises his eyebrows, surprised, as he walks over to her. "Quinn to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Why did you do it?" she questions softly, brow furrowed. She closes the last of the distance between them and Stefan finds himself needing to take a step back, just because her scent was so alluring and he wasn't sure what he might do. He was still a little riled up from his confrontation with Karofsky and he genuinely didn't want to hurt her. "Do what?" he asks innocently, doing his best to distract himself in any way he can and not pay attention to things like the sound of her heart beating, or the smell of her hair, the gloss of her lips…

"A few days ago _you_ were the one throwing the slushies and now all of a sudden you're _protecting_ me from them?" she questions, confused, her arms folding across her chest. "Did I miss something?"

"What can I say?" Stefan shrugs, deliberately avoiding eye contact with her. "I don't like seeing you get slushied by anyone other than me." Quinn's eyes narrow questionably. "Would you like to hang out later?" he asks suddenly, wanting to distract her from his lame excuse.

"You want to hang out?" she repeats slowly, looking at him skeptically.

"Isn't that what I just said?" he says, head cocked to the side.

Quinn purses her lips and nods. "Yes, but why? I don't understand why you'd want to hang out with me, of all people."

"Just thought it'd be nice, seeing as how you're the only person in this school that I am able to somewhat stand being around."

"Um, thank you, I think." she says, blinking her confusion. "But yeah, I can't today." she apologizes, shaking her head. "I have tutoring, remember?"

"What about tomorrow?"

"I don't know." She bites down on her lip unsurely and for a second Stefan's gaze is transfixed on it. "It's a school night, my father wouldn't be happy about…"

"It's not like I'm asking you to go with a rave with me or on a date for that matter." he says with an air of impatience. "It would just be you and me, _two friends _hanging out, possibly getting a bite to eat." he explains, doing his best to sound as casual as possible.

"Oh, so we're friends now?" Quinn questions, eyebrow arched.

Stefan nods. "Remember? You yourself admitted it. _42. Befriend someone I don't like._"

"And you're sure this isn't a date, right?" she has to ask.

Stefan snorts. "Farthest thing from, promise." he nods.

Quinn looks at him hesitantly before finally nodding her head. "Okay, I'll hang out with you, but on one condition."

His eyes narrow suspiciously. "You aren't going to make me join glee club, are you?"

"No, nothing like that." she promises.

"Okay then what?"

Lifting her gaze to meet his, she tells him in all seriousness, "You have to promise not to fall in love with me."

Blinking his surprise, Stefan does his best not to seem to caught off guard by that request. "Someone thinks awfully high of themselves." he comments, scoffing. "You have my word, Fabray. I can guarantee that I will most definitely _not_ fall in love with you at any time whatsoever."

"Exactly what I wanted to hear." she sighs with a small - dare he say sad? - smile. "I'll see you tomorrow, Stefan."

He remains where he is and nods, yet again watching Quinn walk out of his line of view. As soon as she was out of sight, the spell she had over him disappeared, and for the first time it sank in as to what he had done. What the hell had he been thinking? Asking her to hang out? Since when did he want to hang out with _anyone?_


	5. Every Night Is Another Story

The next day Stefan had made sure he fed quite a lot (he didn't want to risk hurting Quinn when they hung out), draining three girls right after school and then another three before he left his house to pick up Quinn. All of them brunettes, because for some reason, he could no longer look at a blonde, let alone _drain_ one, without Quinn's face appearing before him.

After disposing of the girls' bodies in the woods in the next town over, he drives over to Quinn's house. She had insisted that she do all her homework before they hung out, mainly because her father wouldn't have ever let her out of the house otherwise.

He turns down the ACDC that was currently blaring through his speakers when he pulls up to Quinn's house. He kills the engine and decides to wait in the car for a minute, his fingers anxiously drumming an erratic beat against the steering wheel. He couldn't understand why he had such an uncomfortable knot in the pit of his stomach. It wasn't like he had anything to be nervous about. This wasn't even a date - it was just two friends hanging out.

Shaking his head, he roughly opens his car door, slams it shut behind him, and stalks up to Quinn's front porch. He exhales deeply before knocking on the door. He does his best to mind his patience as his ears pick up on footsteps growing louder and her scent growing stronger as she approached the door from inside the house. She could not open that damn door soon enough.

Finally, Quinn appears before him, wearing a simple floral print dress and a canary yellow cardigan. Her dazzling smile completes the image. Was her smile always that adorable?

He swallows hard and takes a step back as she steps forward. "You look beautiful." he comments casually, gaze flickering to her.

"Wow, I went from _somewhat decent looking _to _beautiful_ in only a matter of days." she chuckles, brow raised.

"Yeah, well the lighting was different." he dismisses, already feeling somewhat agitated with himself. What was it about this girl that had such an effect on him? "You ready?"

She brings the door closed behind her and nods. "Yeah. So what exactly are we doing tonight?" she asks curiously, following him down her driveway toward his car.

"You tell me." he shrugs, opening her door for her before walking around to the other side. "What does this town have that's fun?"

Quinn raises her shoulders, pulling her seatbelt across her chest. "Just the usual, I guess. There's a bowling alley, a roller rink, movie theater, ice cream parlor… nothing incredibly exciting or cool. Need I remind you that this is Ohio?"

"Right." he smirks. "So you hungry?"

—

"I thought you've eaten at Breadstix before?" Quinn questions with a frown as they leave said restaurant together, her stomach as empty as it had been when they initially arrived.

"I've been here before but I got a little preoccupied before I had the chance to even order anything. Some of the girls around here were hard to resist and needless to say I got a little distracted." he smirks, then chuckles at the face Quinn makes.

"Had I known the food would be so disgusting I would've gone somewhere else." he continues, opening her car door for her once more.

"It's no Olive Garden but it's the best Lima has. Sorry." she apologizes when he slides into his seat. "So where is this so-called restaurant you were talking about where we can get some _real_ Italian food?" she wonders as he gets back onto the main road. "Last time I checked, Breadstix was the only Italian restaurant in town."

"We're not going to a restaurant…exactly."

"You better not be kidnapping me Stefan Salvatore." she says, half jokingly. "I have mace in my purse and I'm not afraid to use it."

"No. Nothing like that, promise." he assures. "Although if I were to kidnap you, I'd probably render you unconscious first."

Quinn stares at him unsurely; Stefan explains himself. "I watch way too many crime shows, just so you know."

About twenty minutes later, Stefan pulls up to his house. "So what are we doing here?" Quinn asks, casting a look around. "It doesn't look like anyone's home."

"It's my house." he responds, putting the car in park and getting out. He opens her door and furrows his brow at the awe she's in. "What's with the face? Your house is like ten times more impressive than mine."

"Um, are we comparing the same houses?" she says doubtfully, following him up the concrete pathway. "Cause your house is definitely much more impressive than mine is. Your parents must be loaded."

"Yeah, they were." he nods, stepping aside so she could go first. "But unfortunately they passed away."

Quinn's eyes widen. "Oh, Stefan. I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay." he assures, beckoning her to continue to follow him inside the house. "It was a long time ago. A _really_ long time ago."

"Then how on earth did you afford this mansion?" she wonders, Stefan leading her through the foyer.

"Trust fund." he replies simply, turning on the lights as he walked.

"So you still haven't told me what we're doing here." Quinn reminds, mindlessly following his lead, admiring as she went along.

"I'm making us dinner." he informs, finally stopping in what she realizes is the kitchen. "Preparing an authentic Italian meal just so happens to be one of my fortes."

"You really don't need to go through all that trouble, Stefan." she says, shaking her head. "We can order pizza or something. I don't mind. Really."

"But then what reason would I have to show off my mad cooking skills?" he wonders, quickly spinning around and backtracking his way toward the refrigerator.

"Well okay then." she concedes with a smile. "What can I help you with?" She walks over to the sink, intending on washing her hands, but Stefan intercepts her.

"Nothing." he says, directing her to the counter. "I cook. You watch."

"I may not be a master chef but I know my way around a kitchen. You don't have to worry about me burning the place down." She reluctantly takes a seat on one of the stools and watches as Stefan circles back around to the other side. "Just let me work my magic, Quinn."

She sighs and rests her chin in her palm, watching silently as Stefan maneuvered around his kitchen with ease. "Tell me something I don't know about you." she requests softly after observing on its own became dull.

"Uh, I speak four different languages." he tells her, his back half turned as he focuses on the stove. "Besides English, that is."

Impressed, she asks, "Which are?"

"French, Spanish, Italian, and Latin." he responds automatically.

"Okay. Something else." she says, intrigued by whatever else he could be keeping to himself.

"I think Lucille Ball is the greatest comedienne to ever live." he throws out over his shoulder.

"There's no question about it." she agrees, nodding. "How about…who's your celebrity crush?" She knows it's a juvenile thing to ask but she can't bring herself to care, she's curious.

"Lauren Bacall, hands down." Stefan admits with a grin. He looks over his shoulder, eyebrow raised questionably. "You know who that is, right?"

"_You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve?"_ she recites, doing her best Bacall impression (and mentally praying she wasn't butchering it). "_You just put your lips together and... Blow."_

"The sexiest line delivery in movie history." he nods. "And you nailed it perfectly by the way. You even gave my goosebumps." he says, pointing them out on his forearm. She smiles embarrassedly.

"So what else is on your list?" Stefan wonders, glancing over at her curiously. "Besides getting a tattoo, being in two places at once, and all that."

Quinn had to think about it for a moment. There were so many things. "Well, the one that's just coming to me off the top of my head is _do something spontaneous_. I'm not really a spontaneous person so, yeah." she shrugs. "It would be nice to change things up for once."

She catches Stefan giving her a sideways glance. "Interesting." he muses, before turning back around to face his boiling water.

—

While the lasagna bakes in the oven, Quinn decides to help him with the cleanup despite his protests. As they wash the dishes together, he occasionally bumps into her playfully, something which she always returns. He honestly has no idea how a single human girl could effect him so but Stefan was in condition to fight it. He tried, he tried to remain indifferent, like she wasn't effecting him as much as she was but all she had to do was something simple like give him a smile and suddenly he was feeling things he hadn't felt in _ages_.

As she reaches for the sponge, her arm brushes over his, and he swallows hard, inadvertently inhaling a good amount of her intoxicating scent. Like alcohol it goes straight to his head, making the ripper side of him hunger for a taste. He unconsciously licks his lips, his tongue grazing the sensitive gums where his fangs were. His jaw tightens at the stimulating sensation, struggling suddenly with his control.

"Something wrong?" Quinn asks, her voice laced with concern.

"Lasagna's done." he murmurs, quickly focusing his every sense on the meal and not on the girl next to him. He moves past her to pull the dish out of the oven. It isn't until he sets the steaming dish on the counter behind Quinn, that he realizes, in his haste, he had failed to use oven mitts. Something a human definitely wouldn't have forgotten. Thankfully though Quinn was still preoccupied with finishing up the last of the dishes to notice what he had done. Or failed to do.

Dinner went off without a hitch, the meal coming out as exquisitely as it always did when Stefan made it. Quinn thoroughly enjoyed it, making him feel strangely proud, like he had just accomplished some extraordinary feat. Their rest of the evening was spent talking about the artificial things, like preferences in movies, music, books, etc. He continually tried to catch her off her guard and get her to divulge the number one thing on her to-do list, but Quinn was too smart to fall for any of his tricks. Compulsion never even crosses his mind.

"Will you _ever_ tell me?" he sighs, exasperated, following her back into the kitchen.

"Maybe. Maybe not." she teases, shrugging. "It depends."

"Depends on what?" he frowns, setting his dirty plate down in the sink.

"On whether or not I'm in the mood to tell you." she says easily, glancing at him over her shoulder.

Stefan comes up behind her. "I will get it out of you eventually." he informs her confidently, his chest nearly brushing her back.

Quinn shakes her head, turning around to face him. "Not in this lifetime, Salvatore."

He stares at her unwaveringly, suddenly very conscious of the distance, or lack thereof, between them. It's like something out of a clichéd movie, he thinks dryly. Only in this scenario the boy is a bloodthirsty psychopath torn between the deep unexplainable need to kiss the girl and the insatiable desire to sink his fangs into her neck.

He clears his throat roughly and quickly averts his attention, his feet moving on their own accord to create the much needed distance between them.

"I should probably get back home. It's getting late." she murmurs awkwardly, shaking her head, probably an attempt to rid her memory of what could have transpired. And what didn't.

"Right." he nods, just as uncomfortable, and sets out to get his keys from the hallway table.

—

Aside from the music playing on the radio, the drive back to her house was a silent one. When Quinn's house finally comes into view after what feels like a very long drive, she exhales softly. Stefan, as usual, gets out of the car first, somehow managing to beat her to her own door even though she had practically had one hand on the door handle since they pulled onto her street.

"I had a lot of fun today." she says honestly when they reach the porch. Stefan had been kind enough to walk her to her door.

"As did I." Stefan nods. There's a small pause before he adds, "But about what happened -"

She cringes inwardly, wanting nothing more than to forget that little moment they had in the kitchen. Fortunately for her, she has the universe on her side, as in that same moment, her front door opens, revealing her father.

"Daddy, hi." she greets him, her voice a mixture of surprise and relief. She hadn't expected him to be home.

Her father, whose lips had already settled into an unwelcoming grimace, inclines his chin to Stefan. His gaze flickering from her to Stefan. "Who is this?"

"Stefan Salvatore, sir." Stefan answers for her, extending his hand courteously.

"What ever happened to that Hudson boy, Quinny?" her father asks, brow furrowed, as he disregards Stefan to look at her.

"Finn's just a friend now, daddy." she tells him, even though they both know he already knows this. "Just like Stefan. He's just a friend." She uses the word _just_ a lot then, making some part of her wonder who exactly she was trying to convince.

"When you said you were hanging out with a friend today, you failed to mention that said friend was a boy." her father says, sounding utterly displeased with this new revelation.

"I'm sorry, daddy." she apologizes sincerely. "I didn't think it would make a difference. He's just another friend." There she goes again with that _just_.

"Well it does, Quinn. You and I are gonna have a little talk later." he says sternly, looking at her over his glasses like she knows that. Which she does. She had just hoped she could get by without mentioning it. "Say goodnight to Stefan, honey." He straightens his posture, silently regarding Stefan once last time before heading back inside without another word.

"Well, he certainly doesn't like me." Stefan exhales, turning to her as soon as they were alone again.

"Don't take it personally." she sighs, embarrassed. "He doesn't like anyone with a Y chromosome…well, except Jesus."

Stefan nods, chuckling slightly. "Yeah, well, I should get going before your dad decides to forcibly bring you inside himself. I hope you won't get in trouble for us hanging out."

She shakes her head dismissively. "I doubt it. Daddy will probably just give me the boy/dating lecture again and quote some verses from the Bible in between."

"That sounds…fun." Stefan remarks, doing a horrible job at masking his grimace. "So I just I'll see you at school then." he nods, meeting her gaze once more before decidedly walking away.

She lingers on the porch to watch him go and looks on curiously when he turns around at the last second in the middle of her lawn. The porch lights are bright enough that they're able to illuminate his face even from the yard as he tells her, with a quirked smile, "Goodnight _Slim._"

"Goodnight, _Steve_." she says in return, waving him off with a sunny smile. "See you tomorrow."

She waits until his car is no longer in front of her house before heading back inside. When she gets there, as she had predicted, she finds herself in the midst of yet another one of her father's lectures. She sighs to herself, but pretends to listen intently, nodding her head when appropriate, answering him when expected. Meanwhile she can't help but replay the last few hours in her head. Hanging out with Stefan had been a lot of fun. More so than she had originally anticipated. She found that Stefan wasn't nearly as much of the jerk he tried to lead her to believe all those times at school. Admittedly, _that_ guy did make an appearance a handful of times over dinner but it was nothing compared to the earlier encounters she's had with him.

Despite this though she finds herself _wanting_ to spend more time with him. This worries her a lot because somewhere deep down, she knew that spending more time together with him was only going to make things worse. She couldn't have moments like the one in the kitchen happen again. It's not what she needed. Not what she wanted. Friends were what she needed and nothing more.

—

Finished with his detention, Stefan casually makes his way down the halls, thankful that he could check off yet another school day. High school was just as tedious as it been a hundred years ago and detention was no better. Sighing to himself, he picks up his pace a fraction, nearly at the nearest exit when he picks up on the music. Stopping, he turns his head in the general direction it was coming from. He follows the melody without hesitation, his feet leading him while he raked his brain for the name of the piece. Realizing the music was unfamiliar to him, he drops the inquiry and refocuses his attention. As he made his way down the empty hallways and drew nearer to the source, his sensitive ears pick up on the vocals suddenly added to the mix. His keen sense of smell picks up on her scent a fraction of a second later.

He doesn't even realize he's entered the auditorium until he finds himself watching Quinn on stage, sitting at the piano situated there, softly singing along to her own playing. Having not been previously aware that she played the piano, his eyebrows lift in surprise. Admittedly they do so from her singing as well, his brain not really registering that, while he knew she was in glee club, she actually sang.

He walks down the center aisle toward the stage like a moth transfixed by a flame. Quinn was lost too, in her music that is, so she didn't even seem to notice his presence until he made himself known.

"I didn't know you play piano." he comments casually, climbing up the steps on the side of the stage. Quinn jumps slightly at his voice, her trance broken.

"Aren't you supposed to be serving your detention right now?" she questions not unkindly as she tries to recompose herself.

"Finished." he replies, taking a seat next to her on the piano bench.

She turns to him, eyebrow arched skeptically. "You waxed _all_ the school's floors?"

He nods. "Might want to watch your step on your way out." he smirks.

"In one hour you finished?" she asks questioningly.

"I'm a fast worker." he shrugs dismissively. He glances over at the sheet music in front of her. "What were you playing just now?" he wonders, reaching for the papers entitled "Only Hope." "Wait, did you write this?"

"It's nothing." she says quickly, snatching away the papers and quickly putting them away in her bag.

"Don't tell me you're ashamed of it." he says, frowning at how determined she was to keep him from seeing it.

"Of course not." she retorts, as if it's the most ridiculous thing she's ever heard. "I just don't appreciate you trying to go through my stuff without my permission."

"Okay what's this about?" he demands, standing when she does. She's been acting weird all day and it was getting on his nerves. "What aren't you telling me?" Out of instinct he grabs onto her forearm when she tries to walk away from him. She whimpers under his strong grasp and simultaneously he releases her, his ripper temperament that had flared up in that instant gone as quickly as it had came.

She takes the opportunity to leave the auditorium, leaving him confused and a little frustrated. He calls after her, going after without a second thought. He follows her down the corridors, out the school and down the front steps, all the while pushing down the urge to use his enhanced speed to cut her off. It was too risky a thing to do.

"You know you don't know the first thing about being someone's friend." Quinn tells him angrily over her shoulder.

Well that's stating the obvious, he thinks. "You're right I don't." he agrees, not even going to bother denying it. "I haven't had a friend in a _really _long time." he continues, now catching up to her. "Not that it matters. Because you and I are not friends." He reaches out for her arm again, this time mindful of his strength, and pulls her to him. "You and I both know there is something more going on between us." His heated gaze practically dares her to say something to the contrary, so when she doesn't, he nods. "Exactly."

Quinn shakes her head up at him. "What do you want from me, Stefan?" she asks, voice heavy with defeat. When she's met with silence, she nods as if she had expected it. "You don't even know, do you?"

Honestly he doesn't. He doesn't know. He has absolutely no idea. He still hasn't a clue what it is she's been doing to him these past couple weeks. He wishes he could then maybe he could put it to a stop. But at the same time he _doesn't_ want to stop this thing they've started. He doesn't want to understand it. He just wants her. (The Ripper wants her too but for an entirely different reason).

"I'll see you around, Stefan." Quinn sighs, her voice snapping him out of his thoughts. He nods simply and lets her go, watching as she walks away (he seems to do that a lot).

A small part of him wants to go after her and another part, the more dominant part, just wants to find someone whose throat he can rip out. Since he can't allow himself to do the former, he blurs back to his car and sets out to do the latter.

—

"Damn, girl, you look tired." Is how Quinn's greeted the next morning upon entering the choir room. "What's wrong, Quinn?"

"Just didn't get a good night's sleep." she replies tiredly, walking over to the risers and taking a seat behind Mercedes.

"I have the perfect thing that will clear up those dark circles in a flash." Kurt says enthusiastically, from next to Mercedes.

Quinn smiles appreciatively at him, then allows her gaze to wander. It lands on Sam, who was sitting across the way from her, on the other side of the room. He mouths the words, _Are you okay_, giving her a concerned look.

With a weak smile, she nods, mouthing back, _I'm fine_.

Just then Rachel walks into the room, a determined look on her face as she makes her way over to them. Santana and Brittany follow suit shortly after, casually chit-chatting among themselves. Quinn can't help but sigh heavily when Rachel comes up to her, her penny loafer clad foot tapping away an impatient beat. "Can I help you, Rachel?"

"Willow, you look like you're about to explode." Santana comments after settling down in a seat in the very top row along with Brittany.

"I saw you with Stefan Salvatore in the auditorium after school yesterday." Rachel blurts out. Everyone's attention snaps toward Quinn in under a heartbeat.

"Baby girl, is that true?" Mercedes questions, looking to her expectantly, just as everyone else was.

"You mean you were in the auditorium with the same douche bag who gave you a slushie facial? Are you two secretly dating?"

"Were you two doin' the deed up in there?" Santana wonders, smirking. "Cause if so, my respect for you totally just went up a few notches."

Mercedes starts shaking her head. "Quinn, he's got bad news written all over him! Guys like that only lead to heartbreak."

And major confusion, Quinn silently adds. "Stefan and I just friends. That's it." she sighs, in no mood to talk about it really. "In fact we're not even speaking right now."

Tina's brow furrows in confusion. "Why are you friends with the guy that gave you a slushie facial in the first place?"

"I think Stefan slushied Quinn because he likes her." Brittany speaks up. "And I think Quinn likes him back."

"I like him as a friend." Quinn clarifies, her cheeks getting hot. "Nothing more. But at the moment I'm a little mad at him, so really this-"

"Someone's in denial." Kurt sing-songs, cutting her off. "You totally like Stefan, and not just in the friendly way. Otherwise you wouldn't be as flustered as you are right now."

"Whatever the deal is, just be careful, baby girl, alright?" Mercedes says softly, reaching out to touch her hand. "The last thing I want is to see you get hurt." The others nods their heads in agreement.

"Yeah, cause if he did end up hurting you then we, and by _we, _I mean _I, _would have to go all lima heights on his ass, and frankly, I have better ways to spend my time, thank you very much." Santana says in between examining her nails.

"Can we just drop this please?" Quinn pleads, exasperated. Thankfully Mr. Schuester enters the room in that same moment to ensure that it would.

—

When Mr. Schuester enters the room, Rachel takes to her usual seat next to Finn. As soon as everyone is present and accounted for, Mr. Schuester dives right into his lecture on Stephen Sondheim. Usually she paid a great deal of attention to his lectures but when she had more important things on her mind, like today, she couldn't concentrate properly. It isn't long before her gaze drifts elsewhere, away from Mr. Schue, and onto Quinn, who seemed to be as distracted as Rachel was.

Rachel averts her gaze before anyone notices her inattentiveness. Truthfully, seeing Stefan and Quinn together in the auditorium was not the only thing she saw go down yesterday. In fact, seeing them together in the auditorium was the least significant thing she had wanted to confront Quinn about.

She had first stumbled upon them after spending about an hour rehearsing in the choir room. She had been walking down the hallway, past the auditorium, when she heard voices coming from within. Being the inquisitive person she was, she poked her head inside to see Stefan and Quinn talking. She couldn't hear them from the distance she was at, but obviously it wasn't a pleasant conversation because suddenly Quinn walked away from him and left the auditorium. Thankfully she used the other exit otherwise Rachel would've been found out. She then watched as Stefan ran after her. It was like something out of a movie and she was eager to see how the rest of the scene played out, so naturally she followed them.

They had taken their little argument outside, and unfortunately, from her distant hiding place, Rachel couldn't hear what they were arguing about. But soon Quinn was turning on her heel and walking away again, leaving Stefan standing there, looking conflicted.

And then that's when it happened. Or at least, what she saw happen, something she still couldn't believe. Stefan had moved at an _inhuman_ rate towards his own car. One second Stefan was right in front of her eyes and then, _in a blur_, he was over at his car, which was a good ten to fifteen feet away, in the blink of an eye.

Shaking her head of the memory, Rachel sighs. She must have been mistaken. She had to of been mistaken. What she thought she saw Stefan do was physically impossible, right? Of course it was, her eyes probably had been playing tricks on her at an inopportune moment.

But, still she couldn't shake the feeling that Stefan Salvatore was hiding something, and not just from Quinn, but from everyone. Pursing her lips together in a firm line, she nods her head resolutely.

Well, if Stefan Salvatore was indeed hiding something, she for one, was going to find out what it was.


	6. Can't Stop This Thing We Started

Over the next couple of weeks, Quinn does her best to act like her thing with Stefan never happened. It isn't that hard seeing as how he had stopped coming to school a week after the incident in the parking lot took place. She didn't want to seem presumptuous in thinking that his extended absence was a result of what happened between them, but it was kind of hard to think anything to the contrary. She knew better than to believe it was purely coincidental.

Shaking her head, she keeps walking down the congested hallway, willing thoughts of Stefan and all things related away. She's been doing a good job of not thinking about him at all and she doesn't want to ruin it.

Of course that's a lot easier to say than do now that Stefan was standing just a few feet away from her at his locker. Her steps falter as she racks her brain on how to proceed. Her classroom is just around the corner from where his locker is and in order to get to it, she'd have to walk past him, risking him seeing her. Not that she doesn't want him to see her, cause she does. Or at least a small part of her does. The part of her that has been quietly missing his presence for the past few weeks. The other part of her, the part that's scared of how he makes her feel and confused by him in general, would rather not deal with him at all and take the long way around, even if it meant being late for class.

Biting her lip hesitantly, she reluctantly continues on her way, figuring it stupid to risk being late for class just because of her issues with some guy. It was as if he could sense her coming his way because suddenly, out of the blue, his attention snaps toward her and his pensive gaze finds hers.

A little unsure if she should take this as a sign to acknowledge him or just keep walking, she eventually decides to stop by and say hi.

"Hey." he greets back, turning around to regard her fully.

"Haven't seen you around school lately." she brings up casually, silently hoping he couldn't tell she was nervous. "I was beginning to think that you had moved."

"Haven't felt like coming." he says honestly, shrugging. "Found better ways to occupy my time with."

That last part wasn't necessarily true; these past few weeks he's just done what he's always done. Drink, feed, kill. Repeat. (Fuck is usually added to the mix but he hasn't been in the mood for that for a while). He had hoped it would help to get his mind back to working the way it was supposed to before Quinn Fabray had ever come onto his radar but apparently the damage done was irreversible. No matter how hard he tried to block her out with alcohol, blood, and torture, his efforts always proved futile in the end. For the first time in all his existence his bloodlust, 'the Ripper' was unable to consume him mind, body, and soul.

A small portion of his humanity, something he didn't even think existed, resided within him and was, without question, unequivocally devoted to her. A startling revelation that had him determined to stay away from her, but the strength of which rendered him incapable of doing so.

Hence his return to McKinley.

"Look, Quinn," he starts, releasing a loaded sigh. "I just want to apologize for the way I've treated you in the past. You deserve better." So, _so_ much better. "It's just, I'm not good with this." He motions between them even though he doesn't even know what 'this' is.

Quinn nods. "Yes, I've gathered that much." she says knowingly, lips quirking slightly.

"Bottom line is that I honestly do enjoy spending time with you and would like to continue doing so if you'll allow me. And I'll understand if you don't." He hopes to God she doesn't, for her own sake, but at the same time he hopes she does, for _his_ sake.

"I enjoy spending time with you too." she admits softly, smiling up at him. "And would very much like to just get past all this _drama_ and be friends again."

"Good." The bell rings over their heads and students start shuffling toward their respective classes. "So, would you like to hang out on Saturday?" Stefan asks, closing his locker and picking his backpack off the floor. "You know _before_ you did your volunteer work at the hospital."

Quinn nods, smiling at the fact that he remembered that she did volunteer work on Saturdays. "I'd like that."

Stefan nods in return and shoulders his backpack. "I'll see you later, Slim." he smiles at her.

"Bye, Steve." she beams. She watches him walk away over her shoulder for a moment before turning back around to head to class.

—

On his way to his next class Stefan has an unexpected run-in with Rachel Berry. Luckily he manages to stop himself before he has the chance to run her down again. His brow furrows quizzically when he tries to side step around her and continue on his way and she moves in front of him, effectively blocking his passage. "Do you want something?"

"I've been meaning to talk to you. For a while actually, but I've been detained with all of glee's preparations for our sectionals competition…" she promptly informs him. He tries his hardest to pay attention to her rambling but her obnoxiously bright outfit has him slightly distracted. That is until he hears the words, "We need to talk."

He meets her gaze, his brow lifting of its own accord. "Oh we do, do we?"

She nods and wordlessly hands him a slip of paper. "But not here. I need to talk to you somewhere private. It would be for the best. For both your sake and mine."

He opens the small piece of paper and frowns at how cryptic she was being. "What the hell are you talking about?" He glances down and his frown deepens.

Rachel sighs. "Please, just meet me at that address after school and I will explain myself, okay?"

Despite his better judgment, Stefan does what Rachel asks of him and meets him at some place called _The Lima Bean_. The second he walks into the coffee shop, he spots Rachel picking up her order from the counter. Sighing heavily to himself, he reluctantly makes his way over to her. He comes up behind her and taps her on the shoulder, inadvertently nearly causing her to drop her drink.

"Stefan!" she exclaims, cheeks flushed, one hand flying over her heart. "You scared me. Do you want something to drink?" she offers, gesturing behind her. "My treat."

He shakes his head, his hands deep in his jacket pockets. "No thanks. I'd just like for you to tell why you've asked me so I can leave."

Rachel nods understandingly. "Right. Well let's go sit down in that corner in the back." she says, pointing out the empty table in the far corner.

Though still doubting his decision to come here in the first place, he follows her lead and takes a seat in front of her. "Why did you want to meet here?"

"Well I wanted to meet in somewhere public but not somewhere where Finn would see us. He's not a big coffee person." she explains, lifting her cup up to her lips.

"Okay?" Stefan says, unclear as to what that has to do with anything.

"Look." Rachel sets down her drink and stares directly at him. "I know you're hiding something."

Stefan scoffs. "Okay what makes you think that?"

"Don't try to deny it, Stefan." Rachel sighs, shaking her head. "You and I both know that you have a really big secret. That day you and Quinn had that argument out in the parking lot and after she left you did something…something…impossible." By now her voice had lowered to a whisper, something Stefan didn't think possible. "It was like one minute you were in one spot and then I blinked and you were by your car…_fifteen_ feet away."

"I don't know what you're talking about." he denies easily. Meanwhile he silently scolds himself for using his abilities in broad daylight. What a rookie move. He should've known better.

Now he was going to have to kill Rachel. Great. He was sure Quinn was going to be okay with that.

"I've been planning how I was going to go about this for weeks." Rachel admits, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, "But seeing as how I don't really know what I saw…"

"Exactly. You don't know what you saw."

Rachel chooses to dismiss his interruption. "I've had enough experience to know that scheming and being deceitful doesn't really get me anywhere. And in horror movies, it's always the nosy one that gets killed of early on. So despite my extreme curiosity, I've decided not to pursue this anymore."

Stefan can't help but regard her in confusion. "I don't understand. Then why bring this up?"

"Look, I don't know what you're hiding and I don't expect you to tell me, seeing as how we're not good friends. Or friends at all for that matter." she adds as an afterthought. "But Quinn is my friend. And as of today it seems you two are getting close again. If what you're hiding is something that could end up hurting her, well, I just hope you come clean about it before there's a chance of that happening. Something I've learned in recent years is that secrets _always_ have their way of surfacing."

Stefan opens his mouth to speak but can't find the words, so Rachel takes this chance to continue uninterrupted. "It's been a year since she's last been in a relationship, and right now, you're the closest thing she has to being in another one. She cares about you _a lot_. Just like I know you care about her. Although why you treat her horribly, I don't know." she says, throwing her hands up. Her gaze falls back on him. "All I'm saying is that if you hurt her in anyway, shape, or form, you will have to deal with her eleven brothers and sisters." she says firmly, her chocolate brown eyes surprisingly dark and menacing. For a girl, that is. "We don't take lightly to people that hurt our family members, especially when that someone is as good and kind as Quinn. But you already know that."

"Where are you going with this?" he asks, unable to stop the way his fingers drum against the table. When Rachel notices he quickly stops.

"I'm not going to call you out on whatever it is you are, or are hiding. I won't tell anyone what I saw, you have my word." she promises. "I just hope that you know what you're doing. Like I said before, secrets always are found out eventually. And I'm sure that if you tell Quinn now, she'll be understanding, and probably thank you for being honest with her. After all, honesty is the key to any successful relationship." With that, she rises from her seat.

"That's all I wanted to tell you. Sorry if I took up too much of your time." she waves him off with a curt nod. "I'll see you at school."

Stefan remains in his chair even after she leaves, busy processing what had been said. Now that Rachel knew something was up with him, that made her a threat. If he wanted to ensure that his secret stayed that, he had do something about her. Sure she had given him her word but he barely knew her and she hardly seemed like the type who could keep a secret.

—

When Saturday _finally_ rolls around, Stefan gets in his car first thing and drives to Quinn's. No more than twenty minutes later, he arrives at her doorstop and knocks on her door. A few moments pass before the door finally opens and reveals Quinn. "Hey, good morning." she greets, smiling brightly even at this early hour.

"Good morning." he greets back, hands clasped respectfully behind his back.

"Why did you want to meet up so early?" she wonders, stepping out onto the porch. She brings the door close along with her.

"Wanted to get an early start." he shrugs, turning around and starting them off toward his car. "What I want to do, well it's going to take a while to get there."

He looks over at Quinn and finds her staring at him suspiciously. "What exactly are we doing?"

He shakes his head, smiling in spite of himself. "I'm not telling you until we get there." he says, walking around to open the passenger side door.

"We've been driving an awfully long time." Quinn comments after a few hours on the road. She turns away from her window and looks to Stefan, "You better not be taking me to Canada." she says, only half joking.

"We won't go out of the country." he promises, keeping his attention on the road even though they were the only car for miles.

"Then you mind telling me where we are going?" she asks again. He watches her take in their surroundings with a furrowed brow. Clearly this was unfamiliar territory to her. "You better not be kidnapping me."

"Hardly." he scoffs. He looks over at her questioningly. "What is it with you and thinking that I'm going to kidnap you?" he asks, amused.

"Well, you're so secretive." she says defensively, laughing slightly. "I never know what you're going to do or say."

"Most people like being kept on their toes." he says pointedly, his brows hiked. "Believe me, once we get there, you'll be happy."

"Would you please mind telling me where _there_ is?" she cries, exasperated. She looks over at him pleadingly.

He shakes his head. "It's a surprise." he says, smiling secretively.

"I don't like surprises." she informs him, still pouting.

He laughs, shaking his head, and remarks, "You'll like this one. Promise."

—

After another hour of driving, Stefan finally stops the car, pulling it over the side of a deserted road. "C'mon." He gets out of the car and beckons to Quinn to do the same.

She does, after a moment of hesitation, and circles around the car to meet him. "What are we doing here?" she looks around skeptically, seeing nothing but grass and trees. She sharply turns her head, her eyes suddenly wide. "Please tell me we didn't run out of gas."

"No." he rolls his eyes dramatically and takes her hand, pulling her over to the middle of the road.

"What are you doing?" she asks, utterly confused.

"I want you to place your right foot right here." he orders, indicating with his foot where she wanted to put hers. Though she didn't understand what he was doing she did so anyways.

"Now put your left foot right there." She does as he says again.

"What am I doing?" She glances down at her feet, then back at him, her eyebrow raised.

"You are now straddling the state line." he states proudly, stepping back and pointing to the _Welcome to Indiana _sign that she somehow had missed behind him.

"Okay?" she questions, brow knitting together.

"You're in two places at once." he explains, gesturing to her feet and then the sign again.

It takes a couple seconds before it dawns on her. "Oh my god!" she whispers, eyes widening. Her gaze drops back to her feet again. "I'm in _two _places at once!"

Watching her, he laughs under his breath, smiling to himself. "Thank you, Stefan." she says sincerely, meeting his gaze before launching herself into his arms.

Though surprised, he doesn't hesitate in returning the favor. "Yeah, well, now you can check that off your list." he says when she pulls away, his hand coming up to scratch an invisible itch on his neck.

"And hear I was thinking that it would be easier to accomplish the whole Peace Corps thing than being in two places at once!" she chuckles, still in awe. "I don't know how I didn't think of this. Gosh, I wish I had brought my camera so I could take a picture."

"Well I have my phone." he offers, pulling it out of his back pocket. He takes a few steps back and focuses the camera. "Okay, give me a big smile."

She does, giving him one of - if not _the_ - most adorable smile he's probably ever seen in his existence. "Got it." he nods, stepping forward and showing her the picture.

"So now what?" she asks with a new air of excitement as he puts away his phone.

"How about we go for a walk?" he suggests, indicating to the woods across the road.

"Okay." she nods, game for it. "But what about your car? Aren't you worried someone might steal your _pride and joy?_" she teases.

He shakes his head. "I happen to have excellent hearing." he says matter-of-factly, tapping his ear. "If anyone comes within fifty feet of my car. I will know."

Quinn fights the urge to roll her eyes. "Yeah okay, _Superman._" she giggles, shaking her head. "Whatever you say."

She surprises him yet again by linking their arms together, allowing him to lead her into the woods.

—

"So how's glee club been going?" Stefan asks out of the blue, needing to distract himself from the feeling of her arm touching his.

Quinn glances over at him, brow slightly furrowing, "Since when do you care about glee club?"

He raises his shoulders in a shrug. "Just thought I'd ask. Have you gotten any solos yet?"

She shakes her head. "No. Rachel gets mostly all of the solos. But I'm okay with it." she quickly assures, noticing his expression. "It's not a big deal to me or anything. She's the better singer."

"But that doesn't mean you can't sing." he retorts, frowning. She just shrugs.

"Anyways, our sectional's competition is coming up soon." she brings up. "We won last year and are favorites to win again this year."

"You excited?" He steps over a fallen tree branch and helps her do the same.

"Yeah." she nods, smiling to herself. "I really have a good feeling about it. And if we win, we're _that_ much closer to Nationals in New York."

"Now will I be invited to this performance?" he questions casually, glancing over at her.

"Of course." she says automatically nodding. "I cordially invite you, Stefan Salvatore, to come to our Sectionals competition." she giggles.

"Now is this a formal occasion or can I go in sweats?" he asks, his eyebrow quirked.

"Semi-formal, I guess." she responds, thinking it over. "So you can leave your top hat and tails at home."

He gives an exaggerated sigh. "And I was so looking for an excuse to wear my tails again!"

Quinn laughs, her gaze then flickering to their soundings. "Hey don't you think we should be heading back?" she says, slowing her pace and looking up at him questionably. "Before we get lost or something?"

"I have excellent tracking skills." he assures, starting them off again. "There's no chance we'll get lost."

"Oh really?"

Taking notice of her skepticism, he turns back around. "Want me to prove it?"

"How so?" she wonders, mildly intrigued.

He gestures to their surroundings. "Go run somewhere and I guarantee I'll find you."

"You want to chase me around in the woods?" she repeats, unable to help the giggle that escapes her.

"Is that your way of saying that you doubt my skill?" he asks, eyes playfully narrowed.

"Maybe just a little." she teases.

"Fine, then." Without another word he shuts his eyes and starts to count. "One…two…three…"

He hears her wonder, "What are you doing?"

"I'm giving you a head start." he explains, his eyes still closed. "You have until I get to twenty to get out of sight. Four…Five…Six…Seven…."

Before he could get to eight he heard her takeoff, the sound of her shoes against the dead leaves making it a dead giveaway. Wanting to stay true to his word, he wait's a decent amount of time before taking off after her.

—

Though she felt rather silly and childish doing this, Quinn pushes her feet as hard as they would go, determined not to let Stefan win. She laughs to herself, enjoying the freedom of it all, the feel of the wind on her face, the grass under her feet (she had lost her shoes some time ago). Starting to lose steam, she glances over her shoulder just to see if Stefan was on her tail or not. She sees no one thankfully and quickly reverts her attention forward - only to hit a wall. Literally.

Well, it wasn't a wall exactly, it was Stefan.

The sheer force of the collision nearly sends her to the ground but fortunately for her Stefan has fast reflexes and catches her before that happens.

She stares at up at him, eyes wide with disbelief. "How did you…?" Her words come out breathlessly.

"See what happens when you doubt my mad skill?" he smirks, helping her straighten up.

"You cheated!" she exclaims, quickly moving out of his arms. "There's no way you could've caught me that quickly."

"Don't be mad, _Slim._" he chuckles, amused by her pouted lips. (He's also attracted to them by he can't afford to let his thoughts go there).

"I'm not mad." she grumbles, reluctantly following him down another pathway. They fall into a content silence as they walk along side each other deeper into the woods. Neither one of them knows where they're going or where this invisible path leads them, until they find the answer right in front of them.

"Wow." Quinn says first, her voice barely above a whisper. Stefan silently nods his agreement, gaze lingering on the little nook hey had unknowingly stepped into. Directly in front of them was a swimming hole with a manmade wooden dock that looked to be at least a couple decades old. Compared to the trees off the side of the road, these ones here look so much healthier, so much greener, probably thanks to lack of pollutant exposure.

"Nice little spot, isn't it?" he comments, moving forward to take a closer look when she did. He cautiously steps onto the small dock to test if was still able to hold a substantial amount of weight after all these years. Looking at the water, a thought comes to mind. "Wasn't doing something spontaneous on your to do list, too?" he wonders, looking back at Quinn, who had taken to admiring the flora.

She turns her head curiously and nods. "Yeah, why?"

He doesn't say anything in response. Instead he opts to just incline his head toward the water, hoping she would catch his drift.

"Are you serious?" She watches, incredulous as he begins to take off his shoes and pulls his phone and keys out of his pockets.

"Spontaneity is being impulsive, right? Well, right now, I'm feeling the impulse to go for a little swim." he responds with a smirk before taking off in a running start, landing in the water with a huge splash.

When he resurfaces the first thing she says to him is, "You're insane."

More than you realize, he thinks darkly to himself. He quickly shakes the thought off though and beckons her to join him. "C'mon, this is spontaneous. It's on your list, you have to do it."

"I don't have to do anything." Quinn scoffs, her arms folding across her chest.

"Don't make me get out and forcibly throw you in, Slim." he threatens, his tone mild. "Cause I will."

Biting down on his smile, he watches as she tiptoes toward the edge of the dock. "My dress is going to get ruined!" she protests, even though she was already in the process of testing out the water. She gives a little squeak and jumps back. "The water is freezing!"

He rolls his eyes and sighs, abruptly reaching out and grabbing a hold of her. He swiftly brings her back into the water with him.

Quinn quickly resurfaces, spluttering out water. "I c-can't b-believe you d-did that!" she exclaims, her teeth chattering like crazy.

"I'd say I'm sorry but that would be a lie." he smirks, placing his hands on her hips and pulling her body closer to his. She rolls her eyes at him but nevertheless wraps her arms around his neck when he lifts her up.

When he starts walking around, causing ripples in the water, she comments, "This is nice."

He nods, watching her while her gaze was elsewhere. "Yeah. Yeah it is." he murmurs.

Pulling back, she exhales. "What do you feel right now, Stefan?" she asks out of curiosity, looking at him expectantly. "In this moment right now."

"Surprisingly, a lot of things." he confesses, suddenly finding it difficult to meet her gaze. Since he doesn't want to get into it, he instead asks, "What do _you_ feel?"

"You like to do that a lot." she speculates. The remark makes him to turn his head. "What?"

"Deflect." she answers simply. "I try to ask you a question and you respond with a question of your own, never answering mine."

"Your answers are more interesting than mine." he tries to explain but, of course, she isn't buying it. Neither does he. It's a weak excuse and they both know it.

"I find that very hard to believe." she says, her expression matching her tone. She mildly startles him when she lifts her hand up to his face and combs her fingers through his hair. "You're a hard nut to crack, Stefan Salvatore." she sighs. "You know that?"

He smiles humorlessly. "Again I'd say I'm sorry but that I'm not. Haven't you ever heard that ignorance is bliss?"

"Yeah. Yeah I've definitely heard that phrase." she nods, suddenly with this distant look on her face. It gives him the underlying feeling that he wasn't the only one who had secrets.

Clearing her throat, she shakes her head, willing the thought away. He does the same. Her gaze quickly returns to his.

He really wishes it hadn't. Because all of it - the sight of her mesmerizing eyes, the sound of her heart beating against his, her scent, her beauty - is beginning to be too much. He doesn't know how to deal with it.

Overwhelmed by the onslaught of emotion she unknowingly brings out of him, he finds himself fighting the urge to do something, to say something he knows very well he shouldn't. Suddenly he needs to know if she's plagued by the same feelings he is in this very moment. A part of him already knows the answer to that but he needs to make sure of it.

"Tell me what you feel right now." he asks of her quietly, his heart drumming wildly against his chest. "Honestly."

With her lips pursed, she starts to back out of his embrace. "We should probably get going."

"Now who's deflecting, huh?" he murmurs, pulling her back to him with ease. "Quinn, please."

She shakes her head again, purposely avoiding eye-contact with him. "Ignorance is bliss, remember?" she questions shakily. "Stefan, please let go."

"Love." he tells her. "That's what I feel right now. Granted I've got a hell of a lot of other things swimming around inside me but right now that's the dominant one."

"You promised me you wouldn't." Her voice cracks and tears well up in her eyes, her face seconds away from crumbling.

"It wasn't intentional, believe me." he says under his breath apologetically. "Then again love never is."

"Stefan, just stop." she begs, pushing him away She gets out of the water, dripping wet, and he does the same, going after her despite her continued attempt to get more distance between them.

He exhales deeply, trying to rein in his 'Ripper' temperament, only to have it be in vain. "If I could I would but I can't. I've tried. Fuck have I tried to rid myself of these feelings I have for you. I can't get you out of the head for the life of me and I should hate you for it but I don't." He comes up behind her and spins her around, forcing her to meet his gaze. "I _can't_ because every time I so much as _think_ of you I am filled with so much love and adoration it makes it impossible to feel anything else." he says deeply, leaning down and pressing their foreheads together.

Her body trembling, she firmly presses her lips together in an attempt to remain composed. "I don't know what scares me more: your love for me or my love for you." she whispers, her eyes shutting for a moment.

He nods understandingly and cautiously reaches out to cup her cheek with his left hand, feeling it the thing to do. His breath catches slightly when she leans into his touch and before he can stop himself, he's bridging the gap between them. What starts out as soft and tentative quickly escalates into something more, something deeper. They kiss over and over, incapable of parting, their lips caressing in perfect movements.

It's only when he remembers she needs oxygen to breathe properly that forces himself to pull away, to give her a chance to catch her breath. Panting though he technically doesn't need to breathe, he rests his forehead back against hers. He waits until she doesn't sound so breathless before lowering his gaze to meet hers. Wordlessly she puts her hand against the side of his face, a gesture so gentle and unexpected that his eyes fall close of their own accord. It's the first time he's ever felt at peace.

His eyes flutter open after a minute and when he refocuses on Quinn, he finds her staring at him intently, as if she's taking measurements of his soul - or lack thereof - through his eyes. It slightly unnerves him at first, because honestly he can't even begin to decipher the emotions swirling around in her bright hazel eyes. Just one of the many disadvantages that came with being vampire with no conscience, no feelings, for so damn long - you become detached from humanity.

"I've never felt anything like this before." she murmurs, her fingers tracing the length of his jaw in a trancelike manner.

"Neither have I." he says honestly. His own hand comes up to brush her hair out of her face just as hers drops from his.

"There's no going back now is there?" she asks quietly, her gaze lifting to meet his again.

His brow furrows. "If this isn't what you want…" he trails off, knowing well enough that even if this _wasn't_ what she wanted, he wouldn't be able to let this go. Let _her_ go.

"It's what I want, Stefan." she assures him with a small nod. "You're what I want. I know I shouldn't but I can't help feeling the way I do." It's both what he wants and _doesn't _want to hear.

He doesn't understand it. He doesn't understand how someone so pure and full of light can feel for someone who's nothing more than a monster masking as a man.

"So what happens now?" he only asks because he has no idea. It seems that being at a loss is going to be a regular thing when it comes to her.

She raises her shoulders in an unknowing shrug. He regards her quietly for a full moment before she catches him off guard yet again and steps into his unassuming arms, wrapping her arms around him. Brows raised, it takes a few seconds for his brain to process her gesture. Eventually his arms come up to rest on her back, holding her to him. He isn't sure how long they stay like that but when it becomes clear to him that she doesn't plan on pulling away anytime soon, he leans down and buries his face into her hair, holding onto her like he never intends to let go. Which he doesn't.


	7. Taking Chances

Because news of any kind - no matter how seemingly insignificant - spreads like wildfire in a small town high school, Quinn isn't the least bit surprised when she finds herself being bombarded by her friends the second she walks into the choir room Monday morning.

"Is it true?"

Sighing to herself, she nods, "Yes. Stefan and I are together now." She shrugs off her bag and takes a seat in the second row of risers. When she lifts her gaze, she's meet with a variety of expressions, mainly ranging from concern to disappointment.

"Quinn, are you _sure_ you know what you're getting yourself into?" Mercedes asks as delicately as she can. "I mean Stefan, he's not exactly a nice guy."

"He can be a little rude to people," she concedes with a nod. "But no one is perfect. The important thing is that he cares about me and I trust him. I know you guys don't understand it but we have something special together. And I'd _really_ appreciate it if you guys would try to be nice to him when I bring him over to our table today at lunch."

Though reluctant, the other girls (and Kurt) nod their heads compliantly. "Okay, Quinn. You have our word."

By the end of their morning glee meeting, many members of the club were a little miffed by Mr. Schuester's plans for sectionals. Mr. Schuester, having decided to change things up, gave Sam and Quinn the leads that were usually reserved for Finn and Rachel. This, of course, led to a double temper tantrum from two co-captains, which somehow ended with Santana telling Rachel about her little tryst with Finn last year. Needless to say Quinn had the sinking feeling that these next few weeks weren't exactly going to be smooth.

"So we're going to be featured in sectionals." Sam brings up, walking alongside her to a class they had with one another. "That's pretty cool, right?"

"Really cool." she confirms. "And also incredibly terrifying." Singing wasn't her strong suit and for a three minute number she was going to have to be front and center. Part of her wishes Mr. Schuester would have just stuck to his standard formula of a Finn - Rachel ballad followed by a classic rock group number.

Sam nods understandingly. "Yeah, I've never performed in front of an entire audience before. I'm super nervous. I really don't want to blow this."

"Neither do I." she sighs, shaking her head. "But if we do I'm pretty sure everyone is going to conspire to murder us."

"Yeah, I have no doubt about that happening." Sam says, laughing nervously. "I mean, this is a really amazing opportunity for me, _for us_, but I can't help but feel like-"

"Like we should just step back and let Finn and Rachel do their thing?" she finishes for him.

He nods sheepishly. "I just _really _want to win this thing and I dunno, I feel like we'll have a better chance at doing so with them leading the charge."

"Well we may not have their powerhouse voices but we do sing well together." she says, looking over at him. "And Mr. Schuester wouldn't have given us this opportunity if he didn't think we could do it."

"Yeah, I guess." Sam nods. "So what are we going to do?"

"Rehearse like crazy and pray to God that we don't screw this up for the club."

—

Stefan walks down the hallway restlessly, failing miserably with his attempts to distract himself from thoughts of Quinn. He's just grateful he was going to stop by her locker before class because if he had to go another hour without seeing her, he was pretty sure he might just snap and kill someone for the hell of it. Exhaling deeply, he quickens his pace and tries to shake off that thought. If he wanted to keep Quinn a permanent fixture in his life he was going to have to get a better handle on his 'ripper' tendencies.

Taking a shortcut down one of the lesser used corridors, he's surprised to find a distraught looking Rachel sitting by herself a few feet away. Though he honestly doesn't care what it is that has the small brunette so glum, he knows that Quinn cares about her friends liking him and reaching out would definitely get him brownie points with them. Keeping this in mind, he reluctantly makes his way over to Rachel. "Hey. Are you okay?"

Startled, Rachel lifts her gaze and quickly tries to recompose herself. "Stefan, hello."

He cocks his head, brow furrowed as he looks down at her. "What's wrong?"

"I, well, I just found out that Finn slept with Santana." she says quietly, sniffling slightly.

"I'm sorry." he offers simply. "It sucks to be cheated on."

"Well technically he didn't cheat on me." she corrects. "This happened last year when we weren't together. I was with another boy at the time, Jesse St. James. He was on Vocal Adrenaline, that's a rival glee club, but he transferred schools so he could be with me. Of course I later found out he was just using me to get dirt on us. I also found out that Vocal Adrenaline's coach is really my birth mother, by that's a story for another time." she says, waving it off.

Stefan just blinks, not knowing what he could possibly say to all that.

Rachel slumps back in her seat and sighs. "So you see my dilemma."

Brow knitting together, he shakes his head before speaking. "Actually I don't. You said it yourself Finn didn't cheat on you. You were with another guy when he was with Santana. You have no reason to be angry. It would be a different story if you two had been together at the time but you weren't."

"But he lied to me!" she exclaims. "When we got together, we told each other we'd be completely honest with one another, no secrets."

"He didn't want to hurt you." he reasons. "Besides what should it matter? It's all in the past anyways."

"You sound exactly like Finn." she scowls, huffing slightly. "You guys just don't get it."

Stefan knows well enough that he doesn't so he's not even going to try and argue with her.

"So Quinn tells us that you two are an item now." Rachel brings up casually, apparently too fed up to further discuss her relationship woes.

"Yeah. We are." he nods. His right eyebrow quirks. "Is that a problem?" He doesn't mean to go on the defensive, it's a natural habit of his.

"It is if you hurt her."

His expression hardens. "Which I won't." he tells her, even though he knows he can't guarantee that. He shakes his head, willing the thought away. "I better get going. I'm late to meet her. See you at lunch, Rachel." He gives her a final nod before continuing on his way.

He barely gets around the corner leading into Quinn's locker hallway before he's met with another obstruction. This one in the form of a skinny white kid with a ridiculous Jew fro. "Stefan Salvatore." he addresses him, his voice high and nasal. "Just the guy I was looking for. Word on the street is that you're dating one Miss Quinn Fabray. Care to comment?" The kid does the unwise and shoves a tape recorder under Stefan's nose, eager for a response.

"No." he says roughly, pushing the tape recorder out of his face. Stefan shoves past the guy but he doesn't seem to be able to take a hint and follows him.

"I have witnesses that attest to the rumor that you've successfully deflowered Quinn Fabray this morning on top of the piano in the choir room. Anything to say about that?"

"Yes." He whips around and slams the kid into the lockers, one hand wrapped securely around his throat. "If I hear one more lie that comes out of your mouth regarding Quinn Fabray I will end you." he seethes. His hand clamps down so hard on the kid's neck that he inadvertently drops his tape recorder.

"Stefan?"

Peering over his shoulder, Stefan finds a horrified Quinn hurrying over to him. Exhaling deeply, he reluctantly releases his grasp on the blue faced Jewfro-ed kid. In response he slides down the lockers, wheezing for air.

"What do you think you're doing?" Quinn demands of Stefan before immediately going to help the other boy get back onto his feet. "Jacob are you okay?" she asks delicately, one hand coming up to his back.

Jacob nods, still gasping like a fish out of water. With that, Quinn rounds on Stefan. "Would you like to explain yourself?"

Stefan's jaw tightens, not liking the tone she was taking with him. "This punk was making up rumors about you and asking me about them." he gestures to Jacob with a glare.

Quinn sighs heavily, then reverts her attention to the Jewfro. "Jacob you really need to cut it out with that stupid blog of yours. Nothing you say is ever even remotely close to the truth."

Stefan looks to Jacob, then snarls when he realizes the kid wasn't even paying attention to what Quinn was saying, his attention being a few inches south of her face. "Okay you need to leave." he says, his patience gone. He grabs Jacob by the collar and all but shoves his ass down the hall.

When the kid scurries down the hallway and disappears around the corner, he refocuses his attention on Quinn. "Did you really have to do that?" she asks, sighing.

"He was being disrespectful when he was talking about you." he retorts, starting them off toward her locker.

"You'll learn to ignore the things that come out of his mouth." she says, their hands gravitating toward one another until they were clasped. "But until then you can't let him get to you. What if Figgins had seen you harassing Jacob? Or Coach Sylvester? Then you would be suspended for sure."

Stefan snorts. "I try to defend your honor and I get suspended." he murmurs, shaking his head. "Yeah because that makes sense."

"I appreciate your intentions but next time try to avoid nearly suffocating a fellow student, okay?" Turning around to face him, she pushes herself up onto her toes and gives him a soft kiss. His hand automatically comes up to rest behind her neck to deepen the exchange. He's going to need it to hold himself over for the next hour he has to spend without her.

—

"I feel like I'm on my way to my execution." Stefan comments as he and Quinn make their across the cafeteria over to her glee club's table.

"I already told them you'd be joining us so they'll be on their best behavior." she promises, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "Don't worry."

"I'm not worried." he scoffs. He smirks a little when he looks back at her and finds her eyebrow raised disbelievingly.

"Hey guys." she greets her friends once they reach their designated table. "Some of you already know but this is Stefan." she says, gesturing to him.

Stefan gave a polite nod. "Hello." There was a low murmur of greetings from the group. Smiling, Quinn takes the vacant chair next to one of her friends while Stefan opts to take the one next to her on the edge. "So how's everyone's day going so far?" she asks conversationally, looking around expectantly at the table.

"I'm pretty sure I failed my math test." Mercedes responds glumly, stabbing her fruit salad with her fork. "I don't even see why I need to learn Trigonometry! I mean I'm going to be a singer, not a scientist! I don't need math! I betcha Beyonce didn't have to take Trig…"

"Well we all know how my day went..." Rachel brings up casually before throwing a glare Santana's way.

"Oh get over it, hobbit." Santana snaps, annoyed. "You were with that tool Jesse when Finn and I got our horizontal tango on."

Rachel opens her mouth to retort but Mercedes cuts her off. "Guys let's just drop it and move on, please? The last thing we need is all this drama. We need to focus on sectionals, remember?"

Rachel exhales deeply, her arms folding over her chest stubbornly. "Fine. But I am never speaking to you again, Santana."

Santana stands up in her seat and stares up at ceiling with her arms wide open. "Oh thank the Lord! Happy days are here again!"

Though she manages to get a few chuckles out of the others, Rachel is unamused. Santana reluctantly sits back down when Mercedes tugs on her cheerleading skirt.

"Okay. We'll talk about something else then. Something _way_ more interesting." Santana smirks, her gaze falling on Stefan. "Alright, Salvatore." she says, leaning back in her seat. "Spill."

Stefan's brow furrows in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Since you're now dating our home girl, it's required that we know every little thing before we deem you worthy or unworthy of dating Quinn." Santana informs. "You already know that I've deemed you unworthy but seeing as how I don't really know you and blah blah blah, I thought I'd give you a chance to redeem yourself. So answer the following questions correctly and I may or may not cross you off my hit list. Comprendes?"

"Santana." Quinn says in a warning manner, throwing the Latina a sharp look.

Santana ignores her, her gaze still fixated on Stefan. "Question one. Are you a virgin?"

"You don't have to answer any of her ludicrous questions." Quinn says to him quickly before throwing Santana another glare.

"It's okay, I can handle myself." he assures, unintimidated by Santana. He looks to the Latina and shakes his head in response to her question. "No." he answers.

"I didn't think so." Santana remarks, arms folded. "Next question, have you ever gotten a girl pregnant?"

Again, he shakes his head. "No."

"Now do you think that's because your swimmers weren't able to get the job done? Are your little swimmers defective? Do you have a problem _down there_? Do you have a problem _getting it up? _And if so -"

"Santana!" Quinn interrupts, mortified. "Enough with your ridiculous questions!"

Santana rolls her eyes. "You'll be thanking me later, Q." she says, briefly looking to her before glancing back at Stefan.

"The answer is no. To all those questions." he replies, his arm coming up to rest on the back of Quinn's chair.

"Have you ever killed anyone before?"

"No."

Santana tilts her head, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Why did you hesitate just now, Salvatore?"

"I didn't." he scoffs.

"Yeah you did." she says, pointing at him. "Totally just saw it in your eyes." She turns to Quinn. "You'll be happy to know that you are dating a murderer, Q. You really have great taste in guys, first Finn, now this one…"

"Stefan is not a murderer!" Quinn huffs, rolling her eyes at the very idea. "If any of us is likely to be a murderer, it's you!" she snaps.

Santana keeps her gaze locked on him. "Did you murder your parents? Is that it, Salvatore? Or maybe it was the family dog? Did you murder the family dog, Stefan? Poor Fido, or was it Lucky? Did you kill your dog Lucky? God, what kind of person kills their dog? Bet he was a cute dog too…he was wasn't he? He was probably freakin' adorable. Now what did Lucky ever do to you to make you want to bash poor his brains out? Were you jealous? Was that it? Did your parents love Lucky more than they did you? They did, didn't they? "God, I knew you were psycho…"

Amused more than anything, Stefan just shakes his head. He wouldn't even know how to begin a response to that.

—

"That Santana is something else." Stefan says to Quinn on the drive home, the subject of his _Santana_gation coming up again.

"Again I'm really sorry about her." Quinn says apologetically, looking over at him from the passenger seat. "There's really no controlling the things that come out of her mouth."

"It's okay. I've suffered through worse." he squeezes her hand reassuringly.

"You you really didn't have to wait for me to finish glee practice just so you can take me home." she brings up as they draw nearer to her house. "I could've gotten a ride from one of the girls or Kurt."

"It's no big deal." he shrugs. "I don't mind waiting. Besides the more time I spend with you the less crazy I get." Ain't that the honest truth, he thinks.

"I feel a lot better when I'm with you too." she admits softly, smiling over at him. He swears it's the cutest thing he's ever seen.

"So I know it's a school night but do you think your father would be okay with us having dinner at my place tonight?" he asks, looking at her expectantly.

"Probably not." she says honestly. "But I'm sure I can talk him into letting me dine at _le bistro Salvatore_ tonight." she adds with a giggle.

"Great." he nods, pulling up to her house. "I'll come around and pick you up around seven?"

"Yeah, that sounds good." she smiles, nodding. "I'll give me enough time to do my homework and get ready."

"And after we're done with dinner, we can watch a movie or something." he suggests, wanting to spend as much time with her as he can.

"I'll see you in a few hours then." she says brightly, leaning across her seat to kiss his lips. "Love you."

He shakes his head, pulling her back to him when she starts to pull away. "Mmm. You're not getting away that easily." he murmurs, bringing her into his lap. Their lips brush tentatively at first before he leans in to better accommodate her. Her hands come up to his face to guide the pace. Their mouths move languidly, savoring one another's taste. After a few seconds she slowly pulls away, licking her lips.

"Are you trying to seduce me, Fabray?" he smirks, his gaze lifting up from those delectably pink lips he could spend hours kissing.

Her eyebrow quirks. "Why? Are you capable of being seduced?" she asks teasingly.

He smiles and shakes his head. "You wish."

Chuckling, Quinn leans forward and gives him one more tender kiss before sliding off his lap. "I'll see you in a few hours."

Stefan waits until she safely makes it inside her house before pulling away from the curb.

—

When Quinn gets home she's surprised to find her father waiting for her in living room. "Hi, daddy. How was your day?" she greets, shrugging off her bag and placing it on the couch where she planned to do her homework. Noticing the less than pleased expression on his face, she frowns. "What's wrong?"

Her father stands up wordlessly and inclines his chin toward the window. "When were you going to tell me that you were dating that boy?"

"I was actually going to tell you today, daddy." she tells him honestly. Her father glances back at her disapprovingly. "Quinn, your behavior is sinful. Your behavior in his car. Ywere acting with that boy like you were…"

"In love?" she finishes for him, brow raised.

Her father scoffs at the very idea. "Quinn, you are a child."

Shaking her head, she walks over to him. "Dad, look at me. I'm not a child anymore. "

"Then stop acting childish." he scolds.

Her brow furrows in confusion at this. "I love him, daddy." she says softly. "I've never felt like this with anyone before."

"Then be fair to him, Quinn." he says, exhaling deeply. He stares at her pointedly. "Before things get worse."


	8. Set Fire to the Rain

"So what exactly did you tell your dad?" Stefan wonders curiously when Quinn finally comes around the corner. Having been leaning up against his car as he waited, he straightens up upon her arrival. Quinn had told him to park around the block when he came to pick her up for their dinner date. He figures it was because her father only allowed her to leave under false pretenses.

"The truth." she says simply, pecking his lips. "I just left you out of it. That's why I had you park over here." she explains; he opens her car door for her. "He thinks I'm going over to Mercedes' house."

—

"So what's on the menu tonight?" Quinn asks, stepping inside Stefan's house and immediately inhaling the mouthwatering aroma hitting her senses. "Whatever it is smells amazing." She shrugs off her jacket and leaves her bag by the door.

"Florentine ravioli with chicken." he answers, leading her into the kitchen. "It should be done any minute."

"Great I'm starving." she says, walking over to the cabinets to fetch them some plates and utensils.

Once the food's ready and Stefan's done creating plates for them, they make their way over to the dining room. "I have some good news." she brings up casually after they've settled down and begun to dig into their food.

"What is it?" he asks, looking up from his food, genuinely curious.

"Sam and I are going to be featured at sectionals this year." she replies, smiling.

"Really? Well congratulations." he grins, leaning across the table to kiss her cheek. "Now I can't wait for sectionals."

"Well you're one of the few." she sighs, cutting into her chicken.

His brow furrows at her remark. "What do you mean?"

"Everyone's up in arms about Mr. Schuester's set list. Mainly Finn and Rachel because Mr. Schue gave their slot to us. Which I understand. They are our best bets at winning. " she replies, sighing. "Rachel's none too happy that Santana got a solo either, for obvious reasons."

"If they can't be happy for you then forget about them. You're going to be amazing and you're going to be the reason you guys win sectionals. And I'm not just saying that because I'm your boyfriend." he adds with a smirk, digging into his ravioli.

Quinn just shakes her head and goes back to eating her food. "So you know what song you guys are going to be singing?" he questions after taking a sip of his water.

Quinn nods. "Yeah we do, but it's a secret." she teases.

"Oh come on, it's not like I'll tell anybody." he reasons.

"Mmm, I don't know about that." she says, lips pursed in order to contain her chuckle.

"How dare you insult my honor." he scowls, playfully glaring at her. Stabbing one of his raviolis with his fork, he brings the utensil back and launches the pasta at her. It hits her square in the cheek, effectively startling her.

She stares back at him, her mouth agape with disbelief. "You did not just throw a ravioli at me!" she exclaims, picking up the ravioli off her lap and setting it down on the side of her plate. "What are you, five?"

Shoulders shaking with quiet laughter, Stefan barely manages to shake his head, let alone respond. Quinn gives a small huff at this and doesn't hesitate to throw a ravioli back at him.

He looks back at her, laughter subsiding, but still amused. "Who's five years old now?"

Quinn shrugs her shoulders innocently. "Whoops."

Shaking his head, Stefan first wipes off his chin before getting out of his seat. Quinn automatically does the same, anticipating a retaliation from him. "You can sit back down, Quinn. I won't do anything, promise." he assures, holding up his hands in good faith.

"Uh-huh, likely story." she says, eyes narrowing suspiciously. She takes a cautious step back when he advances toward her.

"Seriously, look. I'm taking the plates away." he says, gesturing to their empty plates. "I figured we could watch a movie now."

"I'm still watching you, Salvatore." she playfully glares, walking around the table slowly as he comes around the other side.

Shaking his head, Stefan passes her and walks into the kitchen to clean up. When they finish cleaning the dishes, he turns to her expectantly. "See? I'm not planning any type of attack."

Pursing her lips, she sighs. "Well okay." Waiting for her to completely let her guard down, Stefan creeps behind her when she isn't looking and abruptly grabs her. "Ha. Got you." he whispers into her ear before lifting her up over his shoulder.

"Stefan! Put me down!" she exclaims, squirming in his embrace.

"Ugh. Me Tarzan. You Jane." he grunts, walking them out to the living room. "Tarzan take Jane to cave."

Giggling, Quinn asks, "Hey, Tarzan put me down, please?"

"No." Though once he reaches the couch, he gently plops her down on the cushions. While she gets settled he walks over to his bookcase and plucks a box set from his collection of dvds. "So what are we going to watch, Mr. Salvatore?" Quinn wonders, just as he goes over to the television.

"I was thinking we could have a Bogie and Bacall marathon." he says, gesturing to the box set. "How does that sound?"

Quinn nods her approval, grinning. "It sounds great."

"Now which one first? _To Have or Have Not_, _Dark Passage_, _Key Largo _or _The Big Sleep_?"

She points to the first choice with a definite nod. "_To Have or Have Not_ definitely."

Agreeing with her choice, he quickly pops the movie into the dvd player before joining her on the couch. "Come here you." he murmurs, instantly pulling her onto his lap.

She smiles, a breathless laugh escaping her, and turns toward him. He strokes her hair and kisses her forehead. Before he can pull away, her hands come up to his face to give him a soft kiss. "What did you do that for?" he murmurs against her lips, hoping she'd catch the quote.

Unsurprisingly, she does catch the quote and continues the conversation. "I was wondering if I'd like it."

He smirks and continues reenacting the scene from the movie they were just about to watch. "What's the decision?"

"I don't know yet." she teases before leaning forward for another kiss, this one with a little more fervor. After a few seconds, Quinn pulls away with a smile on her face. "It's even better when you help."

"I should hope so." he chuckles, smiling to himself when she situates herself in a more comfortable position next to him. He kisses her forehead again when she cuddles up against his chest, reverting her attention back to the television. Pressing play on the remote, he relaxes against the cushions and wraps a protective arm around her.

—

About forty-five minutes into the movie, Stefan decides to test his luck and see if he could get Quinn to tell him her number one on her to-do list. "What's your number one?" he asks casually, hoping she'd be so wrapped up in the movie that she'd answer without hesitation.

"To marry in the church where my mother grew up." she says softly against him. His gaze falls back on her to meet her gaze. "It's where my parents were married." she explains, smiling weakly up at him.

"I hope you get to do that some day." he says honestly, leaning down and kissing her hair.

"I really hope so too." she murmurs, turning her head and sinking back into his chest. He still manages to catch the glint of sadness flash across her eyes though. He doesn't know what it means and part of him wants to ask her about it, but then he remembers, ignorance is bliss, and decides to just let it go without a second thought. He's probably better off not knowing anyways.

They fall back into a content silence and though _To Have and Have Not _is a favorite of his, Stefan's interest in the film quickly wanes. He found that watching the blonde in his arms was much more entertaining than watching a movie he's seen a hundred times.

"What's wrong?" Quinn whispers, glancing at him and seeing that he was looking at her.

He shakes his head at her, his gaze still transfixed. "Nothing. I'm just easily distracted by your beauty."

Ducking her head, she blushes. "You're sweet." she smiles, pecking his lips before moving out of his arms and standing.

His brow furrows in confusion at this and immediately tries to pull her back to him. "Where are you going?"

"Bathroom." she chuckles, maneuvering around the couch. "You think you can handle a minute without me?" she teases, brow quirked.

"Forty-five seconds, _maybe_. A minute? Now that's just out of the question." he smirks.

—

Knowing girls took longer in the bathroom than guys, Stefan does his best to keep his patience in check, even though it's been fifteen minutes since Quinn left. He glances back at the stairs again for the sixth time in sixty seconds, wondering what was keeping her. Realizing that something could have possibly happened, he bolts up from the couch and jogs up the stair. "Hey, Quinn are you okay?" he calls out as he walks down the hallway toward the bathroom. His brow knits together when he sees that the door is wide open, the room vacant. Frowning deeply at this, he picks up on her scent and follows it, into his bedroom.

He doesn't think anything of it at first, having no qualms with her being in there, but that quickly changes when he walks into his room and sees what she had stumbled across.

"Stefan, what is all this?" she asks him shakily, referring to the papers strewn across his desk. All his work he had collected for his 'Massacre McKinley' master plan. Something he honestly hasn't thought twice about in weeks. How it never crossed his mind to get rid of this stuff, or at least store it somewhere while Quinn was in the house, is beyond him.

"Why do you have this?" she asks again, her trembling voice rising. "Why do you have a floor plan of McKinley with all the exits circled? And information on the school population? The faculty?"

Taking a cautious step forward, he begins, "Quinn, just let me explain-"

"Don't take another step towards me!" she yells, her voice cracking at the end. Not wanting to make things worse, he does as she asks and remains where he is. In the back of his mind it occurs to him that he could simply compel her to forget what she found and he could pretend this never happened, but he had made a promise to himself that he would never use compulsion on her.

He was delusional in thinking he could just act like he wasn't a psychotic vampire and play the role of the human boyfriend. It was only a matter of time before she pieced together the truth or something close to it. Still, he can't lose her and he intends on doing everything he can to try and keep this from tearing them a part.

"Ask me what year I was born."

The request confuses Quinn. "What?"

"Just ask me, Quinn." he pleads quietly, sighing.

"What year were you born, Stefan?" she reluctantly asks, not really understanding what this had anything to do with what was going on.

"1847." he replies with a nod. "I was born in the year 1847."

Quinn snorts. "That's impossible. That would make you, what? Over a hundred?" she scoffs at the very idea.

"162 to be exact."

Quinn rolls her eyes and tosses one of his notebooks back on his desk. "Well obviously you're not only a psychopath, but a delusional one at that."

Stefan exhales deeply before saying, "Quinn, I'm a vampire."

"Really?" Quinn stares at him incredulous. "Of all the excuses to make, you decide to choose the 'I'm a vampire' one?"

"Please just let me explain everything to you." he begs, already taking a step toward her. "I know you that vampires don't exist. That they only exist in movies and books but that's not the case. Look." Wanting to prove it to her, he uses his enhanced speed to close the distance between them so he was right in front of her.

Eyes wide, she steps backs, startled. "How did you do that?"

"I told you. I'm a vampire." he says as calmly as possible. "But you have to understand that I would never hurt you, Quinn." When she tries to move away from him, he grabs onto her hand, trying to force her to look at him. "Please, Quinn. You don't have to be afraid of me."

"Let me go, Stefan." she says, struggling against his tight grasp. Tears blur her vision, her thoughts start racing, her mind tries to make sense of this and can't, she can still hear the sound of _their_ movie playing downstairs, and it's all becoming too much.

"Wait." she chokes a gasp. "T-Those killings that have been happening near Lima. They all started when you came to town!" she realizes with a start.

Stefan doesn't even try to pretend that it's purely a coincidence. He stays quiet for a moment before speaking up. "To say that I've been a bad person would be the understatement of the century. But look, I will explain everything to you, answer any question you have, but you have to promise not to run off, okay?"

At Quinn's small nod, Stefan releases his hold on her. He doesn't even remember when he'd grabbed her and that troubles him.

Quinn reluctantly lifts her gaze to meet his. "Show me." she says, her voice no longer shaky. "If you're a vampire. Prove it."

Though he knows how dangerous it could be, Stefan does as she asks and focuses his every sense on the sound of her heart racing, of her blood being pumped through her veins, knowing well enough that it would rile up the Ripper, evoking his vampiric features. Her breath hitches in her throat as his face contorts into something less human and more feral.

The way she steps back, bumping into his desk chair in the process, is all that he has to see to know she's not as skeptical anymore. He needs a couple seconds to recompose himself, which isn't that easy of a thing to do.

"So you are a," she swallows hard. "Vampire."

He nods and gestures to the chair behind her. "You might want to sit down. My story isn't particularly a short one." Quinn hesitates for a moment and watches him carefully, as if she was just waiting for him to attack. Eventually though she takes the seat.

Not wanting to make her uncomfortable (or at least even more uncomfortable that she no doubt already was) he keeps his distance from her as he speaks.

He sighs heavily before starting, "It all began with this girl, Katherine, back in 1864. She was a vampire. I fell head over heels in love with her, as did my brother, Damon."

"You have a brother?" she asks unable to help herself.

"Not one that I particularly like, but yes." he nods. "Anyways, Katherine - she toyed and manipulated us both into thinking she returned our love. She didn't of course. To her we were nothing but her human playthings. Playthings that ended up paying the ultimate price in the end."

"She killed you?"

He nods. "You see our town was aware that vampires existed and the council made it their mission to destroy them all. Before Katherine had been captured, she tricked Damon and I into drinking her blood, which if human dies with it in their system, it'll automatically start the transition to vampire. All one had to do to complete the transition is feed on human blood. Both me and my brother ended up getting killed in our attempt to save her."

"And you drank human blood to complete the transformation."

"I didn't want to at first. I wanted to die. I was going to allow myself to die, but then when blood was presented in front of me. I-I just couldn't resist. The temptation to feed was just too strong. Before I had even realized what I had done, it was already too late. I had damned myself."

"And your brother…did he…?"

"After I had completed my transition, I didn't want to be alone in this. I couldn't be alone. I didn't want to live this new life without my big brother. So I convinced him to feed too, despite his protests. My brother resented me for what I had done to him. He didn't want to be condemned too, but the damage was done. We were both vampires."

"Damon went off on his own and I embraced my new life," he continues, idly pacing around his room. "For a hundred and sixty two years, I couldn't control my bloodlust. I became known as a Ripper. A vampire who loves to hunt, feed, a kill. A vampire who kills for no real reason other than for the sake of doing so. I enjoyed killing people and I didn't feel an ounce of guilt."

"They say that humanity is a vampire's greatest weakness and that you can turn it on and off like a light switch. Most all vampires shut their humanity off. You see when you become a vampire, all your emotions are heightened to the point where it becomes unbearable for some."

"For me, feeding was the only way I could push away my emotions, to escape the guilt of what I had done to my brother, to the people I had killed. Eventually it got to the point where I had stopped feeling altogether. I didn't have an ounce of humanity in my body. I just didn't care. I didn't feel."

Quinn frowns skeptically at him. "I don't believe that someone can just _not_ feel."

"It's true." he shrugs. "I didn't feel anything. No remorse, no guilt, no pity, no anything."

"And now?" she inquires, standing abruptly. "Was _I_ just one of your play things? Were you just going to toy with me like Katherine did with you? Make me believe that you actually loved me before you killed me?"

"No, no." he assures, rushing over to her. "I was never going to hurt you I swear."

"No you were just going to kill my entire school." she scoffs, folding her arms across her chest. "You were going to kill an _entire _school full of kids who never did anything to you _for fun_."

"A Ripper is a sadistic monster who will do anything and kill anyone." He tries to make her understand. "And yes, that was my initial plan when I came to this town, but that all changed. That all changed when I met you." he explains earnestly, his gaze seeking out hers.

"Look, when I first saw you, I'm not going to lie I was attracted to your scent. I wanted your blood but there was something about you that I just couldn't bring myself to harm. For the first time in all my existence as a vampire I didn't want to hurt a human. I was an ass to you I know, but it infuriated me how a simple human girl could affect me so."

"It felt like I wasn't in control of myself. I'm always in control and the idea of not being was unnerving. For 162 years I've repressed my humanity, made myself more monster than man. Then you come along and suddenly I'm starting to feel things I've never experienced as a vampire. Eventually it got to the point where I couldn't resent you even if I tried. I was too consumed with love and devotion for you. The more time we spent together the deeper I fell for you."

"D-Did you still kill people while we were together?" she asks quietly. "You didn't, did you ever feed on any of my friends?"

He shakes his head. "No. I've never touched your friends. I haven't killed anyone in ages and I haven't feed on anyone since we got together."

"We've only been together a few days, Stefan." she points out.

"Well breaking a hundred and sixty-two year old habit isn't exactly easy." he retorts, sharper than he intended. His expression softens apologetically. "Please, Quinn. I can't lose you. I'm trying to be better. Because of you I _want_ to be better."

Taking a step closer to her, she brings a hand up to her face to try and wipe away her tears. When she involuntarily flinches away from him, his hand drops. He sighs heavily in response. "I'm not the same man that I was when I first came to Lima, Quinn." he tells her seriously. "Now I can't change my past but I can let go of it and start my future."

Quinn nods understandingly, swallowing thickly. "I think it's time for me to go home. It's getting late."

"Quinn-"

"I'm sorry, Stefan, but I need some time to myself to process this." she says quickly before brushing past him, all but running out of his room. As soon as gathers her things downstairs, she pulls out her phone and quickly scrolls down her contacts. Thankfully Stefan doesn't try and go after her when leaves his house. Waiting patiently on the curb, she sighs in relief when someone finally picks up on the other line. "Quinn?" the voice asks.

"H-hey Rachel," she starts out unevenly, her voice still shaken from the turn in the night's events. "It's Quinn, can you do me a favor?"

Lucky for her, she doesn't wait long before she hears the roar of a car's engine speeding down Stefan's deserted street. The car comes to a screeching halt in front of her. At the same time the window rolls down, enabling Quinn to see that it was just Rachel. She never would've guessed that Rachel was such a maniac driver. Now she understood why Kurt never liked carpooling with her.

Shaking her head of the thought, she quickly runs up to the car and gets inside through the passenger side. The car was a nice relief from the cold she had been standing out in. As soon as Quinn has her seatbelt fastened, Rachel, in typical Rachel fashion, starts on the inquisition.

"Are you okay?"

"What happened?"

"Did he hurt you?"

"Do I need to kick his ass?"

"Just drive, please." she begs, stressfully running a hand through her hair. Rachel hits the gas before she can even finish her sentence.

"There are tissues in the glove compartment." Rachel says softly after a few moments of silence -most of which Quinn spent trying to keep her crying in check. It wasn't working out that great for her though. "Thanks." she murmurs.

"So what happened? Did he hit you? Do we need to call the cops?"

Shaking her head, Quinn leans back in her seat, silently wishing she could block out this whole night from her memory. "I really don't want to talk about it."

"You need to talk about it to someone, Quinn." Rachel gently points out. "And if not me, then who? Just tell me what happened." she whispers, taking her gaze off the road briefly to look over at Quinn.

"Everything was going just fine. He had made me dinner, we were watching our favorite movie, everything was just perfect." Quinn's voice cracks again, her bottom lip starting to tremble. "And then I found out that he'd been hiding something awful from me."

"What was it?"

"I can't say." Quinn sighs, shaking her head.

"Quinn, I haven't been completely honest with you." Rachel begins; Quinn groans.

"Oh god, not you too…"

"When I said I saw you two in the auditorium that day, well that wasn't all that I saw." she says quietly. "After you had left, Stefan had done something, something I've never seen before. Something that I don't think any _human_ is even capable of."

Eyes wide, Quinn's gaze snaps to meet hers. "Wait, do you know?"

"Frankly I don't know what I saw that day. But judging by the look on your face, you do. And I assume that its what has you so upset. Am I right?"

"As usual." Quinn replies with a bitter chuckle. "But you won't believe it when I tell you."

"Quinn, I'm already questioning everything I believe in and what I know to be true and what to be fantasy. Just give it to me straight." Rachel says firmly.

"Stefan's a vampire."

Rachel hits the brakes so hard, that, had it not been for the seatbelt Quinn had been wearing, she would've flown through the window. "I knew it!"

Quinn looks back at her, incredulous. "You did?"

"Well, it was in my top three, the others being that he was a mutant or an alien. But I figured he was far too gorgeous to be the other two." she says off-handedly.

"H-how are you so calm about this? He's a vampire!" she exclaims. "A vampire who's killed countless numbers of innocent people _for fun_. When he told me, I nearly had a panic attack!"

"Maybe because I had my freak-out in the privacy of my own home?" Rachel offers, shrugging. "I don't know, besides, I'm not in love with Stefan like you are. This is more of a shock to you than it is to me seeing as how you feel so deeply about him."

"Did you know that the reason he came to Lima was just to kill off everyone at McKinley?" she asks Rachel quietly.

Rachel swallows hard. "Well, t-that's unfortunate. But obviously he's had a change of heart," she says softly, giving Quinn a small smile. "I mean I don't think he would do anything that would jeopardize his relationship with you. After all, he loves you so much."

"And I love him too. I _still_ love him, despite everything I've learned tonight. Which I don't understand. I don't understand how I can still love him _so_ much even after learning about the horrible things he's done." Shaking her head, she slumps down in her seat, defeated.

"Maybe it's because you know deep down that he isn't that person anymore. That he would never intentionally hurt you. He's changed. _You_ changed him, Quinn." Pulling up to Quinn's house, Rachel puts her car in park.

"I just, I don't know where to go from here. I can't just ignore his past. What do I do now?" she wonders, looking to Rachel expectantly.

"I can't tell you that, Quinn. You just…you have to listen to your heart. Now I know most people say to listen to your head or your gut, but really it's _your heart _that knows what you want. You'll figure it out just give yourself a little time. If Stefan cares about you as much as he says he does he'll wait."

"Thanks Rachel, for everything." she says gratefully, reaching over and hugging the small brunette.

Rachel squeezes her back. "What are friends for? And if you realize you need to talk some more tonight, just call me. Doesn't matter how late it is, my phone will be on."

"Thanks again, Rachel." she says, smiling appreciatively before getting out,

"Oh and by the way, if it helps, expressing my feelings through song always helps me feel better."

Quinn knows that was just Rachel's ever so subtle way of telling her to get in some extra practice in preparation for sectionals so she nods and pretends to take her suggestion into consideration.. "Bye, Rachel." she says with a chuckle, closing her car door before heading towards her front door.

—

When Quinn gets inside, she's thankful she's met with silence, signaling to her that her father was already in bed for the night. She turns off the living room lights that had been left on for her before heading upstairs to her room. Flicking on the lights, she closes her door behind her and kicks off her shoes. She has a splitting headache from all the crying she had done tonight, but she can't will herself to go back downstairs to retrieve some Advil.

Sighing, she plops herself down on her bed, tempted to just go to sleep and forgo her usual nighttime routine of washing her face, brushing her teeth, etc. While staring up at the ceiling, she goes over the night's events again and tries to make sense of the things she knows.

Stefan's a vampire.

He's killed countless numbers of people in his time.

Up until he met her he was incapable of feeling (or so he says).

He loves her. And in spite of everything, she still loves him. She's never loved anyone like she's loved Stefan and she honestly doesn't know if she'll ever get the change to love anyone else again. She's deep in thought when all of a sudden she hears a soft knock. Assuming it came from her door, she says, "Come in", thinking it was her father. But it wasn't her father and it wasn't the door. It was Stefan and he was at her balcony window.

Pushing herself off her bed, she stares at him from her place across the room, hesitant to let him in. But she does anyways because she has the sinking feeling he isn't going to leave until she does. "What are you doing here?" she asks quietly, stepping back when he comes inside.

"I need to talk to you."

"Well make it quick. If my dad found you here, he'd kill you. And probably me."

He takes a moment to glance around her room before his gaze falls back on her. "I admit I should have just left you alone and for that I'm sorry. You were better off and I've come here to try and right things. I have a proposition for you, Quinn." Her brow furrows in confusion. "You see vampires have this special ability to influence humans around them. It's called compulsion. If you want I can erase your memories of ever meeting me so you can forget this - we - ever happened. I'll leave town and never return so it will be as if I never came to Lima. You can return to your normal life where for all you know vampires are just fiction."

"You can really do that?"

Stefan nods. "And I'll do it in a heartbeat. All you have to do is ask it of me. I won't force it on you if it's something you don't want."

"Well it's not something I want." she responds resolutely. She has no hesitation about it. "I don't want to forget you, Stefan. I don't want to forget the love you filled me with. Despite everything, Stefan, I don't want to forget ever loving you."

"Quinn-"

She shakes her head, effectively cutting him off. "No, Stefan. It wouldn't be right. It wouldn't feel right. Even if you did take my memories away, I'd know something was wrong. Something would be missing and I would never be able to figure out what it is."

"You'll find love again." he tells her sincerely. "You have your whole life ahead of you, Quinn. You're going to find the man of your dreams. The one that deserves to have you."

"I'm never going love someone as much as I love you, Stefan. Not ever." she sniffles, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. "It's always going to be you."

Stefan reaches out and pulls her into his arms, something she doesn't fight. "I don't want you to leave Lima." she cries into his chest.

"I don't want to leave either." he confesses, holding onto her tightly. "I don't ever want to leave you." Kissing her head, he murmurs against her hair, "I know that I can never be good enough to deserve you, but I'll do whatever it takes, whatever I have to do or say, to prove to you that the man that I was is not the man that I am now."

Quinn shakes her head, lifting her head from his chest to meet his gaze. "That's not necessary, Stefan. I already know that you're not the same person that you were when you arrived to Lima. When I first saw you, I knew something was off with you. It was like something was missing, I could tell just by looking in your eyes. But now, I don't get that feeling anymore. Every time I look into your eyes, I see nothing but love.

"Something I was clearly lacking when I came here." he says wryly.

"I don't want the past to get in the way of our future together." she says earnestly, crying freely now. "I want to spend as much time with you as I possibly can."

"Hey, hey. It's okay." Stefan assures in a soothing manner, cradling her in his arms while she sobbed into his chest. "I'm not going anywhere."

Quinn chokes back another sob. "Stefan there's a reason I told you not to fall in love with me." she says, her voice muffled by his chest.

"Whatever it is I can handle it." he vows, turning his head and kissing her temple. "It can't be any worse than what I kept from you."

Quinn reluctantly pulls back from his chest. "I'm sick, Stefan." she says quietly, her red-rimmed eyes looking up at him. "I have Leukemia."


	9. Love Remains The Same

"_I have Leukemia."_

It takes Stefan _several _seconds, maybe even minutes, before his brain can even begin to compute the meaning behind her words, something rather unusual for a vampire whose mental capabilities far surpassed that of any human's.

"That's impossible." His voice sounds so distant and in his head that he almost doesn't realize he was speaking out loud.

"I found out at the beginning of summer break." Quinn begins softly. "The doctors have done what they could but they say I've stopped responding to treatments."

Stefan sharply turns away, his jaw clenching. His throat burns, not from thirst, but from the overwhelming emotion he was trying desperately to keep contained.

"The doctors said I should go on and live life normally as best I could. And since I didn't want anyone to be weird around me so I kept the news to myself. I was going to tell you, eventually." she murmurs, hugging herself self-consciously.

A part of him wants to be angry with her for not telling him sooner but he knows he has no right to. They haven't even been together a week; how could he expect her to drop a bomb like that on him so early on in their relationship? Had the night's events not turned out the way they did he certainly wouldn't have revealed his dark secret to her.

"I was getting along with everything fine, you know?" she starts, voice wavering. "I accepted it and then, then you happen!" she cries

Not knowing what else to do, Stefan closes the distance between them and wordlessly takes her into his arms. "I don't need a reason to be angry with God." she hiccups, her body wracked with sobs.

It takes his every ounce of strength to keep his composure, the overwhelming bout of emotion threatening to consume him. He holds her small frame securely against his own and does his best to soothe her, figuring that the only way he was going to keep it together was if he focused all his attention on her.

He ends up staying with her the rest of the night, despite her concerns of her father catching them together. He assures her that he would be able to hear if her father so much as shifts in his sleep let alone walks down the hallway to her room.

"Do vampires sleep?" Quinn asks curiously, emerging from her bathroom in her sleep clothes.

"Yeah we do." he nods, straightening up on her bed as she joins him. He remains on top of the covers while she slides in between them. "But we don't need as much sleep as humans do."

"Do you sleep in coffins?" she asks through a soft yawn, snuggling up against his chest.

"No thank god." he chuckles, his arm sliding around her waist to keep her close. "I have claustrophobia." he explains.

"No kidding. Me too." she says tiredly, smiling.

"Although, if I were confined in a small space with _you_, I think I'd be singing a whole other tune." He smiles to himself then looks down to see her reaction, but she had already fallen asleep on him. His gaze lingers on her for a few minutes more, even though he has never been one for watching people sleep, and he gently presses a kiss to her forehead.

Pulling back, he exhales deeply and rests his head on the wall behind her headboard. He doesn't know what he's going to do. He can't lose her. Not now. Not ever. He _just_ found her. It wasn't fair. He's a mass murderer who gets to live for eternity, never having to worry about old age or illness. Quinn's probably never sinned a day in her life and yet she's going to die before she even gets the chance to experience life properly.

Apparently Billy Joel was right. Only the good die young.

—

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

Having forgotten to set her alarm clock to 'radio', Quinn grumbles in annoyance at the dreadful beeping infiltrating her sleep. She blindly reaches out to shut the thing off but all she could find was empty air. Sighing, she reluctantly opens one eye to see where the darn thing was only to have the beeping stop as soon as she lifted her head. Realizing it had been Stefan that shut it off, she smiles sleepily. "Morning." she greets.

"Morning." he greets back, seemingly amused by her appearance. She can only imagine how horrendous she looks. "How'd you sleep?" He leans down and gives her a soft kiss that honestly makes her tingle all over.

"Very good." she replies truthfully, nuzzling her nose against his and exchanging another kiss, not caring about morning breath.

"I have a surprise for you." he says, pulling back.

Curious, she straightens up in her seat. "What is it?"

"Well if you'd turn around, you'd see it." he says with a smile, gesturing with his eyes behind her. She turns her head, her eyebrows automatically lifting at the sight of her entire room filled

with bouquet upon bouquet of flowers. She couldn't even see the floor. Her room was nothing but a sea of wild flowers.

"How…when did you do this?" she asks lightly, turning back around to face him.

"While you were sleeping." he replies. "I slipped away to go get them. It was a lot harder than I thought. Not many places that sell flowers are open at this hour. But I managed."

"They're all so beautiful." she comments in awe, sliding off her bed and picking up the nearest bouquet. She leans down and inhales.

"There's more on your balcony and then I left some on the front and back porch." he continues behind her. Her bed creaks slightly as Stefan gets up off it.

"Thank you so much, Stefan." she says gratefully, beaming back at him. She sets the bouquet on her nightstand and maneuvers around her bed to meet him. She throws her arms around his neck and kisses his lips. "Love you."

"Love you too." he returns without hesitation, a smile tugging his lips upward as her lips linger over his. They share another soft kiss before pulling away.

Quinn's smile fades slowly, her expression turning apologetic. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my being sick."

Stefan starts shaking his head. "If anyone should be sorry it's me. I constantly aggravated you. I kept you out, I made you go in that freezing pond, I -"

"If anything you kept me healthier longer, Stefan." she interrupts gently, cutting off his rambling.

He stares down into her eyes and asks quietly, "Are you scared?"

She smiles wryly. "To death."

Unamused, Stefan's jaw locks.

"Come on, lighten up." she cajoles, lightly nudging him.

He stares at her, brow furrowed. "It's not funny, Quinn." He turns his eyes away, struggling to keep himself in check.

She swallows tightly. "I'm sorry." Her eyes search his face. "Forgive me?"

He looks back at her and sighs. "Always."

She smiles softly. "I should probably start getting ready for school." she begins, glancing back at her nightstand. "I think I'm already going to be late."

"Okay. I'll come back with my car to pick you up." he says, placing a quick kiss to her forehead. She nods and walks him over to her window, where she watches him climb out onto her balcony.

Within the blink of an eye, he was completely out of sight.

—

Eager to find out if Quinn was okay after last night, Rachel quickly struts down the halls of McKinley in search of the blonde. Quinn hadn't called her to talk after she dropped her off so Rachel figures that's a good sign - but then again the reason for it could have been because Stefan decided to go all psycho crazy and murder her. Shuddering at the thought, Rachel rounds the corner. To her surprise, she's met with the sight of a content looking Quinn and Stefan walking hand in hand together. It was a far cry from the distraught Quinn she had seen last night.

She doesn't hesitate to storm the duo. "Okay, you mind telling me what's going on?" she demands of the blonde, grabbing her arm without hesitation and pulling her away from Stefan before the vampire can even protest.

"Just last night you were a mess and now you're back together." she continues, dragging Quinn around the corner. "What happened? I want details!"

"I took your advice and followed my heart." Quinn says simply. "I love Stefan more than anyone and I didn't want to lose him just because of his past mistakes. He came over to my house shortly after you dropped me off and we worked things out."

She arches her brow questioningly. "So everything's good?"

Quinn nods. "Yeah."

"Well, then I guess it was pretty useless for me to bring a backpack full of stakes, holy water and crucifixes to school." she says, sighing to herself. "I was ready to go all Buffy on his ass." She lifts up the extra bag she was carrying, still shaking her head.

"Well I guess it's the thought that counts." Quinn chuckles, brow furrowing slightly.

She nods. "Well, if everything's okay, I will be going now. I need to try and shove this bag into my locker before the bell rings. See you in class."

—

Stefan waits patiently by a row of lockers for Quinn to come back to him. He straightens up when she does and looks at her expectantly, slightly amused. "Does Rachel really have a bag full of stakes and holy water?"

"It's not nice to eavesdrop, Mister Salvatore." she says teasingly, her brow quirked.

"Couldn't help it." he smirks, starting them off to her locker.

"And to answer your question, yes she does." Quinn links her arm with his. "Although you forgot the crucifixes." she laughs.

"So you're sure that she won't tell anybody about me?" he has to ask. He was still on the fence about it but he knew he couldn't do about it. He couldn't hurt one of Quinn's friends.

"Rachel's a blabbermouth sometimes," she concedes with a nod, "but she won't say a word about this. You can trust her." she assures.

"And if not I can always just make her into my lunch." he jokes, his gaze falling back on her. Catching sight of her disapproving look, his expression quickly changes. "Sorry."

—

Over the next few weeks Quinn and Stefan spent practically every waking moment together. Day or night, it didn't matter, they were always together. Neither one wanted to be away from the other, Stefan in particular. He didn't know how much time he had with her (and frankly he didn't want to know) so he intended to make the most out of it. He had become a regular house guest of Quinn's - of course unbeknownst to her father. Quinn had even cleared out a drawer so he could keep some clothes for when he spent the night (which was every night). They were having such a good time together that Quinn didn't even realize that sectionals was on the horizon.

Sectionals was tomorrow. That was the only thing she could process the entire school day, leaving her with an uncomfortable case of butterflies in her stomach. She couldn't believe time had passed so quickly. It seems like it was just yesterday she was getting the news she and Sam would be featured; now the big day was less than twenty-four hours away.

She was going to have to do some serious praying tonight that she didn't screw this up. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she was the reason the New Directions didn't advance to regionals.

Sighing to herself, she walks toward her locker and opens it. She's in the process of putting her textbook inside when she spots an unfamiliar black velvet jewelry case on the top shelf. Frowning, she slides her book back in its place then reaches for the black case. It had a simple white ribbon tied to it which she curiously pulled off. There was a note attached as well. For Quinn, it read.

The writing was far too neat and elegant to belong to anyone who was raised in Ohio, but she didn't need to realize that to know it was from Stefan. She opens the case without hesitation and gasps. There, before her, was a beautiful sterling silver charm bracelet. Once the shock of it wears off, she looks closely at the charms, her fingers ghosting over each individual one.

There was a _Q_, a musical note, a pair of ballet shoes, a cross, and a rose. She stares in awe before abruptly closing the case, then opening it again just to ensure that what she was seeing was real.

The bracelet was still there, shining brightly under the hallway lights. It was breathtaking.

"Do you like it?" a voice asks. Quinn spins around to find Stefan standing behind her, a hopeful smile on his face.

"I love it." she gushes, pushing herself up onto her toes to thank him properly. When they pull away, Stefan takes the case from her. "Here, let me." he offers, pulling the bracelet out. She automatically extends her wrist to him. The bracelet connects with a small click.

Stefan lifts his gaze and smiles at her. "I thought you'd want a little good luck charm for sectionals."

"You really didn't have to," she says in return, still flabbergasted by the costly gift. "I mean I already have _you_ as my good luck charm." she grins.

"Well you deserve something beautiful. You know aside from me." he smirks, smiling cheekily.

Her eyes narrow playfully. "Don't go back to being cocky Stefan now. I didn't like him." she teases.

"So you really like it?" he asks, gesturing back to her charm bracelet.

"Of course I do." she laughs. "It has charms that represent everything important in my life." She points out the musical note, "Glee club," then the ballet shoes, "My love of dance," to the cross, "My faith", and lastly to the rose. "My favorite flower. It's all here but one."

His brow furrows in confusion. "What did I forget?"

"You didn't put a charm representing you, silly!" she exclaims. "You're one of the most important things in my life too you know."

"Well I thought about it but I don't know." he shrugs in a sheepish manner, smiling embarrassedly. "I didn't want to seem too presumptuous."

"You can be awfully cute when you want to be, Salvatore." she comments, smiling back at him.

—

Stefan and Quinn spent most of the morning of sectionals lounging in bed, talking and kissing (mostly kissing). It helped to calm her nerves about the big day for the time being, but as soon as Stefan dropped her off at school, the nerves came back full force, leaving her with a sick feeling in her stomach.

Though she and Stefan couldn't be happier, the same could (unfortunately) not be said for the New Directions. They were as divided as ever. A few were still disgruntled over Mr. Schuester's set list choices, Rachel was still furious with Finn and Santana, and then Mercedes just informed her that apparently Mike and Brittany started hooking up during their rehearsals, hence the tension radiating off of Artie and Tina.

The fact that many of the members weren't speaking to each other led to an incredibly awkward bus ride. Mr. Schuester didn't even bother trying to get the kids to make amends - he was too busy sulking over Ms. Pillsbury's decision not to attend sectionals.

Seeing as how no one was on speaking terms, Quinn opted to spend the bus ride texting Stefan, rather than just sit in silence and let her nerves get the better of her. She's in the middle of responding to one of Stefan's texts when suddenly Santana (who she was sitting behind, along with Brittany) turns around in her seat and plucks her phone out of her unassuming hands.

"Santana!" she exclaims, quickly lunging forward to retrieve her phone. "Give me my cell phone back."

Santana merely scoffs at her and proceeds to go through her text messages. "Ugh. Gross." she grimaces, nearly gagging. "This sappy love fest is giving me a toothache. It's sickening. Seriously Q, grow a pair and send him some dirty texts. Oooh, I know, let me do it. I know exactly what to say to give him a hard on."

Mortified, she snatches her phone back. "Nothing doing."

Santana rolls her eyes. "Live a little, Q. Have you even let that hunk of man _touch_ you?"

Quinn turns away, blushing furiously. Santana laughs. "I didn't think so. But whatever, your loss…" she shrugs, her words drifting off.

Before she knows it, Santana's suddenly grabbing onto her wrist, all but yanking her arm out of her socket. For a brief second she tenses up because she concludes that Santana must have seen the bruises on her arm (One of the many downsides of living with cancer - she bruised like a fruit) but she quickly relaxes when she realizes Santana had just caught sight of her new charm bracelet.

"Did Stefan give that to you?" Rachel inquires, sitting across the way from Quinn.

"Of course he did, hobbit." Santana replies snidely. "Who else would give her something like this?" Looking back at her bracelet, the Latina exhales. "Damn. You're not even putting out and he's already buying you jewelry. You are one lucky gal."

"It's so shiny." Brittany says in awe, now turned around in her seat like Santana. She reaches out and gently touches one of the charms.

"He gave it to me as a good luck present for sectionals." she explains, taking her hand away.

Sitting in the seat in front of Rachel, Mercedes turns around. "Good because we're going to need it." she speaks up, having been listening to her ipod up until a couple seconds ago.

"Please we so got this in the bag." Santana scoffs, waving the other girl off. "Sam and Quinn are going to be great, Mike and Brittany are going to show up those Warblers with our kick ass routine, and me, I'm just going to be badass and win us sectionals."

Quinn nods in agreement. "As long as we work as a team, we have nothing to worry about."

—

As soon as the Warblers finish their set, Rachel gathers up the New Directions and leads them out of the auditorium to their designated green room. On the way, they run into the Warblers and out of good faith give them their sincerest congratulations for a performance well done. When Rachel spots Kurt, she all but tackles him in a big embrace.

"You did great Kurt!" she exclaims proudly, squeezing him tightly.

Kurt pulls back and nods. "Thanks." he says brightly, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Did I look too sweaty up there?" he asks worriedly. "Being in this uniform makes it twice as hot on stage. I felt like I was melting a la the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz."

"No you looked fantastic." Rachel assures, following Kurt over to the refreshment area while the rest of the New Directions headed to the greenroom. "You look very becoming in that blazer, it's like you were made for it."

"Speaking of those who look becoming in a blazer." Kurt brings up casually, nodding down the hall to where Stefan was. "And here I was thinking that Stefan couldn't get any hotter." he sighs to himself, taking in Stefan's suit and tie.

"Agreed." Rachel chuckles, looking Stefan up and down. She turns back around to focus her attention on Kurt.

She watches confused as his eyes widen. "He's coming our way, act cool." he says quickly.

Stefan stops in front of them. "Rachel." he greets. "Kurt, long time no see."

"Hey, Stefan." Kurt greets back, his cheeks reddening ever so slightly.

"Hey, Stefan." Rachel says casually. "Quinn's in the green room. Want me to go get her?" She figures it's the only reason he's here.

Stefan nods. "Would you? I kind of want to wish her luck before she went on." Rachel nods understandingly, sharing a quick with Kurt before heading down the hallway.

Stefan turns his attention to Kurt. "You did a great job out there, Kurt." he says once Rachel was gone.

"Thanks, it was fun. Definitely a different experience from performing with the New Directions."

"I could tell." Stefan nods. "You really aren't the kind of guy to just mindlessly harmonize in the background like those other guys. You're meant to take center stage."

Kurt bites down on his lip anxiously. "Was it really that obvious that I was a little bored?"

Stefan chuckles. "To me, yes. But to the judges, I don't think so. They were probably too busy paying attention to the lead guy, what's his name?"

"Blaine Anderson." Kurt says with so much enthusiasm that Stefan can't help but laugh at.

"Am I sensing a little crush, perhaps?" he teases, making Kurt blush.

"I-I uh…well..."

"Hey." Turning around, Stefan exhales at the sight of Quinn walking up to them. "Hey, beautiful." he returns, leaning forward and kissing her cheek.

"Thanks." She turns to Kurt. "You were wonderful Kurt, I'm so proud of you." she beams, giving him a quick hug and kiss.

"Thanks, Quinn." Kurt says appreciatively. "I heard about you and Sam getting the leads. Congratulations. I know you two are just going to be amazing."

"Thanks, Kurt." she nods, gravitating to Stefan's side. "That means a lot."

Looking between Stefan and Quinn, Kurt gestures elsewhere. "Well I guess I better go take my seat in the audience. Good luck, Quinn. Bye Stefan." They both say their goodbyes to Kurt and watch as he leaves before turning to each other.

"So how do you feel?" Stefan asks, bringing her closer. "Are you still nervous?"

"Terrified is more like it." she admits, her smile fading somewhat.

"Don't be." he assures, leaning down and kissing her forehead. "You're going to be fantastic."

She smiles faintly as he lifts up her left hand and kisses her knuckles. Stefan frowns slightly at the sight of her arms. Noticing this, she blushes sheepishly and slowly takes her hand back.

"I didn't want anyone to ask about the bruises so I put some make-up on them. I just really hope I don't sweat it off."

She didn't want any of the New Directions to see her bruises. She couldn't tell them. At least not yet. And most definitely not now.

The lights of the lobby begin to flicker on and off, signaling to the guests that it was time to return to their seats and to the performers that they were up next.

"It's time." Stefan states, his gaze falling back on her.

Quinn nods, an unsure expression still on her face. "You're going to do great, Quinn." Stefan promises. "You have nothing and I repeat _nothing_ to be worried about."

"I love you, Stefan." she whispers, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing him tightly. Stefan leans down and gives her a soft, reassuring kiss before releasing her from his embrace. "See you in a bit." He kisses her quickly once more. "Good luck."

Finally releasing the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, Quinn turns around once Stefan was gone and begins to walk in the other direction. As she does so she nearly bumps into Sam. "I'm pretty sure I'm going to puke." he states as the two of them walk to their places behind the curtains.

"Well at least you won't be the only one embarrassed cause I think I'm going to puke too." she whispers shakily, her hand coming up to wipe the sweat from her brow. Unbelievable. Their performance hasn't even started and here she was sweating. Great. Just great.

"Good luck." Sam nods to her before the announcer introduces them.

The music starts and Sam's the first to make his entrance. Waiting patiently, Quinn takes in a deep breath, trying to quell her already trembling body. Just like in rehearsal, just like in rehearsal, she recites before stepping out on her cue.

As she makes her way down the aisle, she sings her verse of _(I've Had) The Time of My Life, _singing out to Sam while secretly trying to find Stefan in the audience. It wasn't until the curtains on stage pulled back to reveal the rest of New Directions that she finally spotted him sitting near Mr. Schuester and the Warblers.

Their eyes locked for a brief second but it only took that single moment and his reassuring smile for her nerves to melt away. She proceeds to sing out to him until she had to focus on the choreography with Sam. Even then she still pictures herself singing to Stefan, the song fitting the way she feels about him perfectly.

_I've had the time of my life  
>No I never felt this way before<br>Yes I swear it's the truth  
>And I owe it all to you<em>

Before she knows it, the group is belting out the final note and the audience is going wild in response. A giddy smile breaks out across her face at the thunderous applause. Sam takes her hand without warning and squeezes it triumphantly. Making the transition into _Valerie_, Quinn heads upstage with Sam, suddenly feeling a little drained. That number must of taken more out of her than she realized.

Shaking her head of the thought, she moves to her new position and tries to work past this sudden wave of nausea. Blinking heavily as her vision begins to blur, she casually slips into the wings, fearing something was really wrong with her. Thank goodness that she was in the back and people were too busy paying attention to Mike, Brittany, and Santana's performance.

Behind the curtains, she struggles to keep her balance and her breath. She knew she had to get past this and get back out there. She didn't want to risk the judges noticing that they were suddenly missing a member and marking it against them.

Her hands fly to her abdomen when she's overwhelmed by the suffocating feeling her dress was giving her. She blindly clawed at it, gasping for air, but before she could get anything done or ask someone for help, her whole world went dark.

—

Rachel had been in the middle of the choreography when she saw Quinn collapse backstage. The very sight of Quinn unconscious threw her off a bit but she quickly recovered. Glancing over at her friends to see if anyone else had noticed, she sees that they were all too lost in the performance to notice what was going on backstage. She debates whether or not she should run over and help Quinn. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the stage hands rushing to her aide, fussing over her.

For the first time in Rachel's life, she wished that a performance would end as soon as possible.

—

Stefan's brow furrowed as he came up empty handed in searching for Quinn during the New Direction's second number. She was nowhere to be seen. He scans the stage again carefully, thinking he had probably missed her somewhere, but as he did so, his gaze finds Rachel and she looks directly at him, her eyes filled with hidden panic. Sensing that something was wrong, he straightens up in his seat. It only takes one word for Rachel to mouth for him to bolt out of his seat. _Quinn. _


	10. How To Save A Life

Stefan rushed backstage to find stagehands fussing over Quinn's unconscious body. The very sight of which is enough to throw him into a frenzy. He pushed past unfamiliar faces and all but snatched her out of one of the stagehand's arms. "What happened?" he demanded of no one in particular.

"She collapsed right at the beginning of the second number." the stagehand replied, his gaze flickering away as someone reports into his headset. "The paramedics are on their way." he reported to Stefan.

That was about twenty minutes ago. By now Stefan was seconds away from ripping some throats out. He should have just taken to her to the hospital himself; it would have been a hell of a lot faster. Thankfully before the ripper decided to make an appearance, the paramedics finally came rushing to Quinn's aide. Seeing them was almost enough to get him to calm down but then his temper flared up again when one of the paramedics tried to keep him from riding in the ambulance with her because he wasn't a blood relative. It took all his willpower not to just snap the guy's neck right then and there. He had to instead settle for compulsion.

—

He's in the middle of pacing around the waiting room like a madman, waiting on any news from a doctor, when the double doors burst open and the entire New Directions comes charging in with Rachel leading the way. Surprised, he asks, "What are you guys doing here?"

"You really think we would be anywhere else, Salvatore?" Santana scoffs, folding her arms across her chest.

Rachel walks up to him, concerned. "Where's Quinn? Is she okay?"

He shakes his head. "I don't know. I haven't heard anything from anyone yet." He turns away, frustrated. He was _this_ close to compelling the next doctor he saw for answers.

"Yeah, well that's about to change." Santana states, handing Brittany her purse before walking over to the nurse's desk.

Stefan watches as Rachel follows the Latina, the smaller brunette muttering something along the lines of, "Santana, don't get us kicked out of this hospital."

"Excuse me, Miss." Rachel says politely to the nurse before Santana can get a word in. "Our friend Quinn Fabray was admitted here about twenty minutes ago and we would really like to know if she's okay."

"A doctor will be with you shortly." the nurse replies curtly before taking a phone call.

"That will not fly lady." Santana retorts, snatching the phone out of the woman's hand and slamming it down on the receiver. "We've been waiting for twenty minutes for someone to tell us what's going on and we haven't heard shit. So I suggest you get up off your ass and find a damn doctor to tell us if she's okay otherwise you will have a entire fuckin' glee club going all Lima Heights on your ass!"

"Young lady, lower your voice or I will have security forcibly remove you." the nurse warns sternly.

Unthreatened, Santana disregards the woman's warning. "For your information you damn spinster - and yeah the cat paraphernalia is a total give away - " she gestures to the excessive amount of cat related items on the nurse's desk. "My name is Santana Lopez. My father works here. You've probably heard of him, Dr. Hector Lopez. Yeah, you better have that look of surprise on your face, because if he hears about the way you've been treating me and my friends, I guarantee that he will have words about it. I get my temperament from him by the way. So if you don't want the _best _doctor in this damn place going off on you - and be warned when he goes off, you will be terrified - I suggest you find us a doctor that can tell us what the hell is going on with our friend, Quinn Fabray."

Rachel looks back at the nurse anxiously to see if Santana's threat had worked. A satisfied smile worms its way onto Santana's face as the nurse reluctantly rises from her seat. "Let me find you a doctor, I'll be right back."

Stefan watches from a few feet away as the nurse disappears behind the double doors, impressed that Santana's ranting had actually worked on her. Santana and Rachel make their way back to the group, proud smiles on their faces. "A doctor should be out any minute." Rachel informs him even though he had heard the conversation perfectly.

Regardless he thanks them both and together they wait for a doctor.

—

Stefan leans forward in his seat, his foot tapping incessantly. He had long stopped pacing the room after Santana threatened to throw her heel at him if he didn't knock it off. The waiting room was mostly quiet as everyone anxiously awaited some news on Quinn's condition. Mr. Schuester and Quinn's father (who had arrived shortly after the group did) were down the hall getting some coffee.

"She's probably just suffering from a little over exhaustion." Rachel starts gently, taking the seat next to him. "Lots of performers get that way after a performance. It's really common."

He can't help the bitter scoff that escapes him then. If only it was just over exhaustion. If only.

Though he knows Quinn was keeping her illness from them for a reason, he figures now is as good a time as any to let them in. They deserve to know the truth.

"Quinn is sick, Rachel." he sighs, reluctantly lifting his head to meet her gaze. "She has leukemia."

Santana, who was sitting a seat over, snaps her head toward them. "What did you just say?"

"Quinn has cancer." he reports simply, his throat constricting painfully. This admission gets the attention of the rest of the group. "She found out during the summer and since then has stopped responding to treatments." he continues, doing his best to ignore the astounded expressions of her closest friends. Santana looked like she was on the verge of tears, something he really didn't think possible.

"It makes sense now, why she abruptly changed over summer." Tina says quietly.

Rachel shakes her head and promptly gets up from her seat. "Why didn't she tell us? I mean we're her friends, right? Why wouldn't she tell us?"

"She didn't want anyone to be weird around her." he explains calmly.

"This is not happening." Mercedes shakes her head, her voice cracking. "It can't be."

Santana glances over at the clock on the wall and huffs, quickly masking her feelings with anger. "We've been waiting in this god damn room for nearly an hour. That's it, I'm going to find a doctor myself."

But just as she rises from her seat, a doctor walks into the room. "I'm looking for the family of Ms. Fabray."

"Right here." says everyone in the room. The doctor looks at them oddly.

"We're her brothers and sisters." Rachel explains, turning to him. It was true, to some extent.

Santana raises her eyebrow, daring him to say otherwise. "Yeah, got a problem with that?" she challenges.

"No, but I need to talk to her legal guardian." the doctor responds.

"I'm right here." Mr. Fabray steps forward. "How is she?" he asks expectantly.

"She's still unconscious but stable, the paramedics tell me she was in a singing competition when she collapsed?" he clarifies, glancing over his clipboard again.

Mr. Fabray nods. "Yes, she's in a glee club."

"Well there was no serious damage was done. She just overworked herself is all. She'll be fine. Well as fine as she can be considering her condition." he adds softly.

"Can we see her now?" Stefan asks almost impatiently.

The doctor nods, looking to them all. "But at the most, three at a time." Everyone shakes their head compliantly, relieved that Quinn was okay.

—

Stefan waits outside Quinn's room to give her father some privacy with her. He could clearly hear her heart beating steady which put him more at ease. After a few minutes, her door opens and he automatically straightens up, pushing himself off the wall he had been leaning against. "You can come in, Stefan." Mr. Fabray says quietly; Stefan doesn't hesitate in doing so.

The room is silent save for the beeping of Quinn's heart monitor. When Mr. Fabray finishes closing the door behind him, Stefan takes a seat beside her bed. He hesitates for a moment before gently taking her hand in his. His heart clenches painfully at the sight of her hooked up to so many wires. He's known for weeks that she was dying but sitting here, watching her like this, made it all so much more real. He swallows hard and before he can even try to stop it, tears prick the corners of his eyes. He tries to will the tears away but is unable to. The emotion is just too great to suppress.

After a while of sitting and watching her, Stefan reluctantly rises to fetch the others, knowing they wanted to see her. They visit in pairs, allowing a few minutes for each before swapping. Kurt even showed up with Blaine after Rachel informed him of the news. It isn't long before the hours pass and the others leave for the night, leaving Mr. Fabray and Stefan alone together. "It's getting late son." Mr. Fabray brings up, walking back into Quinn's room where Stefan sat by her side. He clasps Stefan on the shoulder. "You go on home. I'll call you when she wakes up."

Stefan shakes his head, his gaze never wavering from Quinn. "I'm not leaving."

—

Two days came and went and Quinn was still asleep. During that time, the glee club visited her and showed her with her flowers and balloons, bringing a much needed lively-ness to her room. Stefan was currently with Santana and Brittany who had ditched school to come visit Quinn. Brittany was mindlessly organizing Quinn's flowers and get well cards so that the card she had brought Quinn - which looked like a five-year old had drawn it in Stefan's opinion - was front and center. Sitting on the small loveseat near the window was a giant teddy bear in a Cheerio's uniform, a gift from Brittany and Santana as well.

"She's the toughest girl I know." Santana says quietly, the two of them looking at Quinn, who was still peacefully asleep. "She'll make it through this."

He wordlessly nods his head. "You seriously haven't left her side since sectionals?" Santana questions, looking back at him and realizing that he was still wearing his suit from that night, although he had rid himself of the blazer and his tie was gone. "No wonder you reek so bad."

"Do I really smell?" he asks, amused.

Santana nods with a grimace. "I wasn't gonna say anything but when Quinn finally does wake up, I don't want her to pass out from your god-awful stench and slip into a coma or something."

"She's waking up." Brittany gasps, causing Stefan and Santana to whip their attention over to Quinn. Stefan automatically gets up and walks over to her side, watching with bated breath as her eyes fluttered open.

Quinn blinks a few times before asking groggily. "Where am I?"

"In hell." Santana retorts, smirking. Stefan shoots her a disapproving glance.

"If I was, Brittany and Stefan wouldn't be here." Quinn mumbles tiredly, a small smile playing on her lips. Taking notice of Stefan, her weak smile broadens. "Hey you."

Stefan finally releases the breath he'd been holding for these past two days and leans down to kiss her forehead. "Hey." he greets back quietly. "How are you feeling?"

"I've had better days." she sighs, shrugging. "How are you?"

"Much better now that you're awake." he says honestly, his hand coming up to cover hers when she touches his cheek. "You scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry." she apologizes before he leans in for a soft kiss. They kiss for a few moments before someone clears them throat, causing them both to pull away.

"Me and Britt don't do the whole _voyeur_ thing you know." Santana remarks.

"I like boats." Brittany says absently; Santana decidedly ignores her comment.

"Sorry, guys." Stefan steps aside so that Santana and Brittany could give her a double hug. "You were sleeping an awful long time, Quinn." Brittany comments, letting Quinn rest her head on her shoulder. "You slept a lot more than Lord Tubbington does. "But I'm glad your awake now."

"That makes two of us." Santana smiles, sitting down on the other side of Quinn. "It's no fun insulting you and making witty remarks if you can't respond to them. Although drawing on you was pretty fun…"

Quinn's eyes widen and her hands automatically go to her face. Her heart monitor begins to speed up a little in response. "What did you do?" she demands. Santana and Brittany just laugh.

"Just kidding Q." Santana chuckles, kissing Quinn's hair. "Glad to know that having cancer hasn't gotten rid of your gullibility."

"You know?"

Stefan shifts uncomfortably and responds before Santana could. "They all know. I was the one who told them. I know you were waiting for the right time but I just thought -"

"It's okay, Stefan." she interrupts, smiling reassuringly. "I'm glad that you did."

"But you should've been the one to tell us, Q." Santana interjects gently. "We're your best friends. We have a right to know this kind of stuff."

Quinn reaches for her hand and nods. "I know. I was going to tell you when the time was right, but I could never figure out when that was. It's really hard to find the right time to tell your friends you're dying." she chuckles bitterly.

"Wait, what?" Santana, Stefan, and Quinn all look to Brittany who looked like she had just gotten news Lord Tubbington had been run over. Stefan figures it was due to the fact that the blonde didn't understand what Leukemia was. Before any of them could even begin to explain things to her, Brittany breaks down throws her arms around Quinn, squeezing her tightly. "Don't die Quinn, don't die! I don't want to lose you. Please, Quinn, don't die!" she cries. "I'll miss you too much. I'll make you chicken noodle soup everyday and let you cuddle with Lord Tubbington, he always helps me when I'm sick."

Fighting back her own tears, Quinn rubs Brittany's back in a soothing manner. She could tell by the way Santana was sniffling that she was trying to do the same. When Brittany finally releases Quinn from her hold, she turns and rests her head on Quinn's shoulder. By then all three of them had done a substantial amount of crying.

"Let's talk about something else, anything else." Quinn says, wiping at her eyes with a tissue. "Did we win sectionals?" she asks curiously.

"We tied for first with those damn Warblers." Santana huffs, shaking her head. "Which I don't even understand, I mean we totally owned those choir boys. But whatever, I still consider it a win…thanks to you."

Quinn's eyebrow quirks. "What are you talking about? You killed it with _Valerie._"

"I did, didn't I?" Santana smirks. She stops, then frowns. "Wait, you heard?"

Quinn nods, chuckling. "Like five seconds of it, but I know you did fantastic. You always killed it in rehearsals. You too, Brittany."

Brittany smiles proudly. "I was the best performer out there. Britney Spears wishes she could dance like me." she says casually.

"I have no doubt about it." Quinn agrees.

Glancing up at the clock on the wall, Santana sighs. "We better be going, Britt." she says softly. "Sue will be up our ass if we miss Cheerio's practice."

"I want to stay with Quinn." Brittany pouts, curling into Quinn's side.

"It's okay, Britt, I'll see you later." Quinn assures, squeezing the other blonde's hand. Brittany sighs and reluctantly slips off her bed.

Quinn's gaze falls over to the loveseat by her bed. "Thank you for the giant Cheerio teddy bear." she says, assuming it was from them. "Did you guys make the uniform?"

Santana rolls her eyes. "Yeah right cause we totally sew." she scoffs, picking up her bag off the floor, "We just stole Becky Jackson's uniform. It was the perfect fit."

Quinn shakes her head in disbelief. "Bye guys." she says to them on their way out.

"Bye, Q." they reply in unison, walking around her bed to give her one more hug.

When they pull away, Santana looks to Stefan. "Boy do us all a favor and go shower before you start to grow mold."

Rolling his eyes, Stefan discreetly ushers the two cheerleaders out of the room. "Goodbye Santana. Goodbye Brittany."

Once the girls were gone, Stefan walks back over to Quinn and takes a seat at the edge of her bed. "How do you feel?"

"A little tired." she admits, resting her head back against her pillows with a sigh.

"Take a nap if you want, don't mind me."

Quinn shakes her head and straightens up against her pillows. "No I want to talk to you. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too." he says in return, taking her hand in his and holding onto it.

"So how did you like our performance?" she wonders. "Before you know I passed out."

"Everyone was amazing, but you, you were spectacular." he smiles, meeting her eyes. "You were radiant, you just looked like you were having the time of your life."

"Even though I was singing to Sam, I imagined myself singing to you the entire time." she whispers, squeezing his hand gently.

"God I love you so much." he breathes, leaning forward and kissing her once more.

"I love you too." she murmurs against his lips.

When he pulls away, he sits back down and looks at her unsurely. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course." she nods. "Anything."

"When were you going to tell me that your first name is Lucy?" he asks curiously. "I only bring it up because while you were sleeping I looked at your chart."

"Oh." Quinn smiles sheepishly. "Sorry, I meant to tell you."

"Don't be." he assures. "I was just wondering why you don't go by Lucy. Do you not like it or something?"

"No, it's a wonderful name." she shakes her head. "It's just, well I stopped going by Lucy after my mother passed away."

His brow furrows, not understanding the connection. "I was named after my mother." she explains. "And when she passed, whenever my father called my name, I could just see the heartbreak. Constantly saying my name_, her _name, just reminded him of her and I felt like I was forcing him to reopen an old wound every time he said my name. He never said anything of course, but I could tell. I couldn't handle seeing that sad look in his eyes whenever he said my name, so I asked him to start calling me Quinn, my middle name. I hoped that it would make it easier on him since I knew he was hurting so much as it was." She turns away and sniffles, eyes welling up with tears. Once she recomposes herself, she turns back to him.

"I got used to being called Quinn from then on and when I moved to Lima, I just said my name was Quinn Fabray. I think you're the only person, besides my dad, that knows that my real name is Lucy."

Stefan just smiles at her. She notices his expression and chuckles, "What?"

He shakes his head, still smiling. "It's just, well you look like a Lucy."

"Well my dad says I look just like my mom." she says smiling at the compliment.

Stefan pauses for a moment, unsure, before asking, "How old were you when she passed?"

"Eight." she replies, a sad expression coming across her face. "She had been fighting cancer too."

He swallows hard at that piece of information. "Do you remember her?" he asks, his voice a little rough.

Quinn nods eagerly, smiling like no other. "Clearly. She was the most amazing person I've ever known. She had this laugh," she chuckles at the memory, "this contagious laugh, that the moment you heard it, no matter what you were feeling, you just had to laugh too. She always had a smile on her face and always knew how to cheer people up. I remember her always singing too." she recalls, tears welling back up in her eyes. Stefan's smile falters a little at the sight. "She liked to play her records whenever she cleaned and she always sang along…" her voice cracks and her bottom lips trembles. She shuts her eyes tightly in attempt to will her impending tears away.

Stefan moves closer to her and takes her in his arms, kissing away the tears that started to leak out of the corners of her eyes. When she settles down, Stefan reaches into his pocket. "I have something for you." he begins quietly, figuring it might cheer her up.

Wiping her eyes, Quinn lifts her gaze from his chest. "What is it?"

"A little gift." he explains, handing her the small box. "I was going to give it to you after sectionals, but obviously we got a little detained."

"But you already got me a gift" she reminds, weakly lifting up her wrist to show him her bracelet.

"Well I have something to add to it." he responds, shifting when she straightens up. "It's another charm." he explains when she opens to the box to reveal a small silver whistle. "On the final day on set of _To Have and Have Not_, Humphrey Bogart gave Lauren Bacall a gold whistle. The inscription read, _If you need anything, just whistle_. I just thought since that's one of our favorite movies and we kind of are like them, I don't know…" he drifts off sheepishly, suddenly second guessing the idea.

"I love it." she sniffles, meeting his gaze with watery eyes. "It will always remind me of you. Of us and our love."

Stefan smiles and nods, not trusting himself to speak in that moment, not when he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't break down. Wordlessly he attaches the charm to her bracelet, then kisses the inside of her wrist.

"I have something for you too." His brows hike in surprise. "You do?"

She nods and points to her bag that was on the couch. "Could you hand it to me?"

He retrieves her bag and hands it over, watching curiously as she rifles through it before pulling out what looked like a book. "Don't worry, it's not a bible." she assures.

He looks at the cover as she explains, "It was my mother's. It's full of quotes from her favorite books and just quotes by different people, her thoughts too."

He nods and opens the book to where the bookmark resided. "Okay. _What is a friend? It's a single soul dwelling into bodies- Aristotle._" he reads aloud.

"This one." Quinn points to a specific one on the top of the next page.

"_Find out who you are and do it on purpose- Dolly Parton_."

"I always thought she was smart." Quinn nods, leaning back.

He flips to another random page and reads the first quote that catches his eye. "_Love is always patient and kind. It is never jealous. Love is never boastful or conceited. It is never rude or selfish. It does not take offense, it is not resentful._"

Halfway through it, Quinn begins reciting it with him from memory. He lifts his gaze and smiles gratefully. "Thank you."

"It's always helped me and I just wanted to share it with you." she responds, smiling softly. He leans forward and kisses her once more. "You know what I figured out recently?" she asks suddenly, her green eyes flickering with emotion.

He shakes his head, not having the slightest clue. "What?" he asks, a smile spreading across his face.

"Maybe God has a bigger plan for me than I had for myself." she begins pensively, "Like you were sent to me _because _I'm sick, to help me through all this." Her entire face lights up with her realization. "You're my angel." she beams.

He nearly scoffs at the very idea but thankfully he refrains from doing so. "No, you're _my_ angel." he tells her. "If it hadn't of been for you, I'd still be a ripper. A monster. You saved me from the darkest parts of myself that I've let consume me for over a century. Quinn, _you_'re the angel."


	11. You and Me

Touched by Stefan's words, Quinn smiles. "Well, when you put it _that way._" she chuckles.

He half smiles. "Hey is my dad still here?" she wonders, realization hitting her.

"I think he's still down at the cafeteria getting some lunch." he nods, already standing to go and retrieve him. "Want me to go find him?"

She shakes her head eagerly. "Please. I really want to see him."

"Okay." he leans forward and kisses her cheek. "I'll be right back-"

Like clockwork, her door slowly creaks open and her father slips into the room. Upon seeing his daughter awake, Mr. Fabray releases a huge sigh of relief and immediately makes his way over to her. "Sweetheart," he whispers, enveloping Quinn in a hug, "You gave us all a good scare."

"Not my intention. Sorry." she apologizes, squeezing him back as tightly as she could.

Stefan looks on from the edge of the bed before deciding to leave the room, to give them a moment in private. Out in the hallway he figures he might as well take this opportunity to dash home and shower.

—

Pulling away from her father's embrace, Quinn lifts her gaze to meet his. Her heart breaks a little when she sees that he has tears in his eyes. "I'm okay, daddy." she assures quietly, her hand coming up to touch the side of his face. "It's not my time yet."

Her father turns his eyes away and sniffles. Looking at the window, he asks, "Do you remember when you were six and you said that you hated gravity?" And that you wanted to jump off the roof and fly?" He chuckles slightly at the memory; his hand comes up to wipe at his eyes.

Quinn nods, giggling at the reminder. "I was so angry at you for making me come down."

"Honey, if kept you too close, it's because I wanted to keep you longer." he begins quietly, his hand squeezing hers.

"Daddy…"

"You know when I lost your mother I was afraid that my heart would never open again. Quinn, I couldn't look at you for days, but then…" he shakes his head slightly, looking up at her with love and adoration.

"I love you so much." she whispers, fighting back tears.

"I hate that this is happening to you." he whispers back, fighting back tears as well. He pulls her back in his arms and kisses her hair.

"I hate that you have to go through this again." she begins to cry into his shoulders. "I'm so sorry."

"Oh honey, you have nothing to be sorry about." he tells her soothingly. "This isn't your fault. None of this is."

—

Stefan returns to Quinn's room just as her father was exiting it. Noticing his red rimmed eyes, he hurries over to him, thinking something had happened, "Is Quinn okay?"

"Just had a little heart to heart is all." Mr. Fabray nods, dabbing his eyes with his handkerchief.

Relaxing, he asks, "Is it alright if I go in then?"

Mr. Fabray nods again, clasping Stefan on the shoulder momentarily before stepping aside. Stefan heads inside her room and closes the door behind him. Like her father, Quinn's eyes were red and glossy, her cheeks moist with fresh tears. She turns her gaze away from the window and smiles upon noticing him. "Hey you."

"You alright?" He walks over to her and kisses her forehead, then gently brushes away her tears with his thumb.

She nods, clasping her hand over his before kissing the inside of his wrist. "I'm fine. But can I ask for a favor?"

He pulls back and nods. "Of course. Anything."

"Would you mind just holding me for right now?" she wonders in a meek tone.

Wordlessly he sits down on the bed and takes her into his arms. Quinn sighs in response, pressing her cheek against his shoulder as his arms encompass her body. While his hand rubs soothing circles on her back, she idly runs her hand up and down the length of his arm. She fingers the fabric of his sleeve before pausing, noticing something peeking out from under it. She pushes his sleeve up out of curiosity, allowing her to see the full tattoo on his right bicep.

"I didn't know you have a tattoo." she remarks, her fingers tracing over his inked skin. She can't believe she's never noticed it before. Lifting her gaze, she asks him, "When did you get it?"

"The 80's, I think." he replies, brow furrowing for a second. "Yeah, I think so. I was pretty drunk when I got it." he admits sheepishly.

Quinn chuckles. "Well at least you didn't get anything embarrassing like a tramp stamp."

"True." he nods, smiling at her.

"I want one." she says longingly, her fingers lingering over his inked rose.

"Well would you settle for a rub-on one?" He pulls a temporary tattoo sheet out of his wallet. "Cause I don't think getting a real one would be the best thing for you right now."

She nods in agreement. "What shall it be?" he inquires, showing her all her options. "A star, a heart, a moon, or a butterfly?"

She looks them over for a brief moment before pointing to the small blue-green butterfly. "Butterfly, definitely." she nods.

"A butterfly it is then." he says, peeling back the protective covering. "Where do you want it?"

Quinn bites her lip indecisively before pulling the sleeve of her hospital gown down a bit, revealing her bare shoulder, "Here."

For a split second Stefan is transfixed by the expansion of bare skin but quickly regains his focus. He presses the butterfly to her skin and gently applies a wet napkin over it. For a few seconds he keeps it there before carefully peeling the sheet away, leaving her with a new butterfly tattoo on the back of her shoulder. He gently blow dries it so it didn't smudge.

"You know it reminds me of the butterflies that liked to linger around my house when I was growing up." he comments, gently readjusting her hospital gown. "We had this huge garden and it was constantly filled with these gorgeous butterflies."

"That sounds lovely." she smiles, leaning back against him.

"My mother always liked to take long walks in the garden, she did it everyday, sometimes multiple times." he continues. "Especially on the days when my father was being difficult."

Quinn turns into his body, mindful of her shoulder. "What was your mother like?"

Thinking back to his memories of her, Stefan smiles fondly. "Very warm. Very kind. Very open. Always smiling. She was the opposite of my father really. He was always so stoic and stern, but I guess that was how it was back then. Men weren't exactly expressive with their feelings." He shakes his head, not wanting to get into the subject of his father. "My mother taught me so much. She taught me how to speak French, how to play the piano, how to dance…"

"It sounds like our mothers were very similar." she remarks, sighing. "Had they been around in the same time period, I think they would've been friends."

Stefan just nods and presses his lips to her head. He hadn't realize talking about his mother would hurt so much, especially after all these years.

"It hurts to talk about her, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, surprisingly." he sighs, leaning his head back against the wall.

"It's the worst feeling in the world, to lose someone you love." she begins quietly, her body curling into his. "But what hurts even more is having to live with the memories you shared with that person. It's like I'm thankful I have all these wonderful memories of my mother but at the same time, they just make me miss her all the more."

Uncomfortable with the subject matter, Stefan mutters, "Can we change the subject, please?" He doesn't want to think about losing someone he loves, of all things.

"Yeah, sure. What do you want to talk about?"

"Nothing really." he replies honestly, rubbing her back. "I just want to sit here with you."

"That's fine with me." They fall into a content silence then, the faint beeps coming from the machine Quinn was hooked up to the only sound filling the room. Stefan does his best to tune out the sound of the machine, instead focusing on the sound of her heart beating. A sound which, frankly, he couldn't ever imagine not being able to hear.

Knowing that one day there would be a time when he wouldn't be able to hear her heartbeat has his body tensing up, his muscles constricting at the very idea. There was no way he could possibly continue existing without her by his side. "Are you okay?" he hears her whisper. He figures she had probably felt his body tense up just now.

"No, not really." he responds; She sits up and looks back at him, concerned. "What's wrong? Is it because I asked about your mother?"

"No, it's not that." he assures, shaking her head. "I just…" he drifts off, turning away. "Never mind."

"Stefan," she begins, staring up at him searchingly. "Just talk to me."

"What's wrong is that you're dying, Quinn." he retorts, reluctantly glancing back at her.

She can't help but frown. "And you think I don't know that already?"

"Look I'm just going to get straight to the point." he sighs, turning around to fully regard her. "You're dying and I _can't_ want to lose you."

Her eyebrow quirks. "What are you getting at?" she asks, lips pursed.

"You know exactly what I'm getting at, Quinn." he says pointedly.

Her shoulders deflate as she exhales. She looks at him sympathetically. "Stefan…"

"I want you to become a vampire." he says without hesitation. "Plain and simple."

"Stefan…"

"I don't want you to become a vampire anymore than I want to be one, but what other choice do we have?" he questions, brow hiked. "It's incredibly selfish of me I know, but I _can't_ lose you."

Quinn swallows thickly. "If this is God's plan for me, then I have to let it take it's course, Stefan." Her gaze drops to her hands. "This is how it's supposed to go, Stefan. We're born. We live. We die…just some sooner than others." she adds in a whisper.

Shaking his head, Stefan pushes himself off her bed.

"You'll find someone else, Stefan." she promises. "You'll forget about me soon enough."

His jaw tightens at that remark. "I can tell by the tone of your voice that even you don't believe that."

"What if I'm out of control?" she questions suddenly, her voice uneven. "What if I can't handle it? What if I become a-"

"A monster?" he finishes, brow raised. "Quinn, there is no way I would ever let that happen." he says firmly, forcing her to meet his gaze. "I will be by your side every step of the way, helping you."

"What if I kill someone? What if it's one of my friends? What if I become a completely different person?"

"I _won't_ let that happen." he promises, taking her face in his hands. He wipes at her tears with his thumbs. "Is that really the reason that this is freaking you out? Because you're afraid you'll hurt someone?"

Her gaze falls to her lap as she shakes her head. "Of course not." she sniffles.

His brow furrows as he regards her in confusion. "Then I don't understand why you're even doubting this. I mean I know it's not the ideal situation but…don't you want to do the rest of the things on your list? Don't you want to see the world? Don't you want to _live?_"

"Of course I want to live, Stefan." she murmurs, her voice thick. "But I don't want to be a vampire."

"Why?" he scoffs. "Give me a good reason why being a vampire would be worse than you dying for good."

She swallows tightly, looking to him pleadingly. "Stefan, please. It's just how I feel, alright? I know it's not what you want to hear but-"

"You're damn right it's not what I want to hear." he responds sharply, unable to contain his true feelings, before walking out of her room.

—

Needing a minute to cool down, Stefan roughly pushes the doors to the hospital open, nearly pushing the damn things off their hinges in the process. He shakes his head, feeling as though all the oxygen had been taken from his lungs. How could she _not_ want to live? It didn't make any sense. He slams his fist into the nearest light pole, needing to release his anger and hurt in some form.

"Stefan?"

He reluctantly turns his head to see Rachel walking towards him, holding a vase full of flowers. "Rachel." he nods curtly.

"What are you doing out here? Is Quinn okay?" she asks, concerned.

"Yes, everything's fine." he says roughly. She's awake now."

Relieved, Rachel sighs. "That's wonderful!" she exclaims. But after noticing the light pole with the dent in it, her expression falters. "What's wrong, Stefan?"

"We kind of had an argument just now." he explains, his hands moving to his hips.

"About what?" she asks curiously.

"I told her I wanted her to become a vampire." he tells her, exhaling deeply. His jaw tightens in spite of himself. "And she doesn't want to become one. I shouldn't blame her - it's not exactly an ideal life - but then at least she would be alive."

Rachel nods understandingly, though she frowns. "But why wouldn't she want to…?"

Stefan shrugs, at a loss. "She wasn't really clear about it. I left before she could fully explain to me." he admits. "I was afraid I might hurt her in some way. I was on the verge of losing control."

"Well I can talk to her." she offers, adjusting her grip on flower vase. "Maybe I can find out what's going through that head of hers. You just wait out here and cool off." she advises, gaze flickering to the dented light pole on her left. "And try not to destroy anymore public property."

—

Quinn's in the middle of wiping the tears from her eyes when a knock comes to her door. Hoping it was Stefan, she quickly tells him to "Come in."

When the door opens to reveal Rachel, she does her best to hide her disappointment. "Rachel, hi."

"Hello, Quinn." Rachel greets cordially, closing the door behind her. "How are you feeling?"

"Alright." she responds, even though she was pretty much feeling about as horrible as she did when she was first admitted into this place. More so now that she was in the middle of a disagreement with Stefan.

"I ran into Stefan on my way here," Rachel brings up casually, walking over to the beside table to set down the vase of flowers. "he seemed very upset. "He says you don't want to become a vampire."

Quinn crosses her arms and nods. "That's right." She wasn't going to apologize for feeling the way she did.

Rachel walks around her bed and takes a seat on the edge by her feet. "Why not?"

"It's complicated." she sighs, shaking her head.

"Well _un_complicate it for me because Stefan thinks you've lost your mind and frankly, so have I." Rachel informs.

Quinn frowns deeply. "Why? Because I _don't_ want to be a blood sucking vampire? Suddenly that makes _me_ out of my mind?" she inquires, incredulous.

"It's the fact that you are willing to let yourself _die_ rather than become a vampire, Quinn. Stefan is offering you more time, don't you see that?" she exclaims, frustrated. "In fact, he's offering the _rest_ of time to _live_. If you become a vampire, you will be able to do the things you've always wanted to do, see the places you've always wanted to visit, you will be able to go to New York with the rest of the glee club and take Nationals by storm. How on earth can you not want _any_ of that?"

"You honestly think I don't want any of those things, Rachel?" Quinn scoffs, beginning to get angry. "Of course I do!"

"Then explain to me why you are _completely_ rejecting the idea of becoming a vampire!" Rachel demands, getting worked up as well. "Because if you haven't noticed, you are _dying_. Dying, Quinn! Which means, after it happens, you _won't_ come back. Ever_. _If I were in your position, I would be _begging_ Stefan to change me. I mean not only is he offering you the chance to live longer, he's offering you the chance to live forever with him!"

Rachel pauses in order to calm herself down. "Now would you please tell me what could possibly be holding you back?" she asks in a much calmer tone.

Fighting back tears, she exclaims, "My mom, okay? My mom is the reason I don't want to become a vampire. If I die, then I get to see her again. I get to be with her in heaven. If I become a vampire, I won't ever die which means I won't ever get the chance to see her again."

"Not a day has gone by where I haven't thought about her, Rachel." she continues with watery eyes. "And there sure as hell hasn't been a day when I haven't felt like breaking down because missing her so much has gotten to the point were it physically hurt. The only reason I was able to keep going after she died was the fact that I knew that one day, I would see her again." She hastily wipes at the tears that were now falling freely. "I don't want to die, Rachel. I really don't. But if it means that I'll be reunited with my mom again…I just…it's not as easy a decision as it seems to make."

Rachel looks at her sympathetically. "Quinn, I-"

"Sometimes I think that the reason I got sick was so that I could be with her sooner." Quinn says quietly, turning away.

"You're probably going to hate me for saying this, but let me finish before you hit me or scream at me." Rachel pleads, holding up her hands in her defense. "As much as I sympathize with your wanting to be with your mother again, I can't say that it's a just reason for you to throw in the towel and let yourself die. I say this as a girl who doesn't want to see her best friend die."

"Especially not now, not when you have so much going for you, so much you haven't experienced yet. We still have regionals to look to, prom, hopefully Nationals, and then senior year! The best year of our lives! I don't want you to miss a second of any of it." she says sincerely. "Call me selfish all you want, but it's how I feel. In fact, if anyone should be called selfish, it's _you_. You have this rare life-saving opportunity and you're just throwing it all away. Did you ever think of how this would affect your father? Did you really want your father to go through losing someone he loves again? Are you really that cruel?"

Taken aback, Quinn shakes her head. "Of course not Rachel, but I-"

"I just wish you would take this into a little bit more consideration, Quinn." Rachel sighs, already rising from her place on Quinn's bed. "This doesn't just affect you, you know. It affects everyone you love, and everyone who loves you."

In true Rachel fashion, she turns on her heel and promptly exits the room.

—

Standing outside Quinn's room, Stefan listens intently to her conversation with Rachel from the hallway. He knows he shouldn't be eavesdropping but he couldn't help it, he needed to understand why Quinn didn't want this. When he hears the reason why, he can't help but feel incredibly guilty for storming out on her like he had done. Running a hand through his hair, he curses under his breath for being such an idiot.

"Why so broody Danny Zuko?" a sudden voice inquires. Stefan turns his head, surprised to see Santana.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"Brittany thinks she left her phone in Quinn's room, I came to see if it was here." she explains, shrugging. She looks at him closely, eyes narrowing. "Were you eavesdropping just now?"

Stefan clears his throat, scoffing at the very idea. "What? No, of course not. I was just…"

Before he has to explain himself, Quinn's door opens suddenly, Rachel walking out in a huff.

"Well, I gave Quinn a firm talking to." she says to him. "I think she'll be taking your offer into a bit more consideration." Her eyes widen upon noticing his company. "Santana. Hi."

Confused, Santana arches her eyebrow. "What offer?"

Stefan and Rachel share a quick look before Rachel answers without missing a beat. "An offer to get a risky procedure done to increase her chances of living longer."

Santana's eyes narrow skeptically. "You two are _so_ hiding something." She crosses her arms over her chest, unamused by this. "What the hell is going on?"

"Nothing is going on, Santana." Rachel assures curtly.

"Seeing as how we're enemies, I don't trust you or anything that comes out of that freakishly large mouth of yours, Berry." Santana turns to Stefan "What's going on?"

"It's nothing that concerns you." he says simply.

"If it concerns Quinn, who, need I remind you, is one of my _best _friends, then _yeah, _it does concern me." she retorts, getting up in his face. "So someone better get to talking otherwise I will beat the shit out of you, Rachel." she threatens, her attention snapping back to the small brunette.

Rachel's eyes widen with terror. "Stefan tell her." she says quickly before hiding behind him.

"She won't hurt you, Rachel." he sighs, irritated.

Santana steps forward; Rachel squeals and ducks behind Stefan. "Wanna bet?"

"Stefan…" Rachel begs, tugging on his arm. "She will beat me up. Do _not_ doubt her! Just tell her. She deserves to know what's going on as well…don't you think?"

"I am not bringing another person in on this." he says roughly, shaking his head.

"In on what?" Santana demands, peeved.

Stefan reluctantly caves. "Alright. I'll tell you what's going on. But you have to swear not to tell anyone."

"Including Brittany." Rachel adds, still hiding behind Stefan.

Santana rolls her eyes and nods. "Fine. Now what is it?"

"Stefan's a vampire." Rachel explains before Stefan can - for which he throws her an incredulous look. She smiles sheepishly up at him. "Sorry."

"Okay what the hell have you two been inhaling?" Santana exclaims. "Did you get a hold of some nitrous oxide while you were here or what? You two are freakin' insane. And even more so than you usually are, Berry." Rachel just rolls her eyes.

Stefan's brow hiked. "You don't believe me? Then I guess I'll have to show you."

Santana scoffs, amused. "This outta be good. Can't wait to see you turn into a bat, Salvatore."

"He's not that kind of vampire, Santana." Rachel responds, shaking her head.

Santana makes a face. "Please tell me he's not the kind that sparkles then cause those 'vampires' are so freakin' fruity."

Knowing she still was unconvinced, Stefan takes a few deep breaths before allowing his eyes to darken and his fangs to emerge from his gums. Seeing Rachel's eyes widen at this, he turns to Santana, who had an equally shocked expression, her jaw slightly agape.

"Now do you believe me?" he inquires, quickly retracting his fangs before anyone else could notice.

"Okay, how the hell is that even possible?" Santana asks rather loudly, garnering the attention of a few nurses.

"Jeez, Santana could you be any louder?" Rachel hisses, urging her to lower her voice.

"Well _sorry_, I just found out that my best friend's boyfriend is a fucking vampire. A vampire! Sorry if I don't feel like using my inside voice!" she exclaims.

"I told Quinn that I wanted her to become a vampire." Stefan brings up, interrupting the two before an argument could take place.

Santana's eyes widen. "You what?" she growls out.

"It's to keep her from dying." Rachel interjects quietly. "We'd rather have her become a vampire than actually die. But Quinn, she doesn't want to become one."

Santana's expression softens. "Can you really save her?"

Stefan nods. "But she doesn't want it."

"Well screw what she wants and just do it." she scoffs. "Turn her already!"

"If it's not what she wants Santana, I'm not going to forcibly turn her." he tells her seriously.

"Don't you want her to live?"

"Of course I do." he snaps, getting aggravated. "But I'm not going to turn her if she doesn't want it, Santana. I don't want her resenting me just because I took her choice away. I already know what that feels like and-"

"So you're just going to sit back and watch the girl you love _rot_ away until she croaks?" Santana asks, incredulous.

"Way to put it delicately, Santana." Rachel mumbles, frowning disapprovingly. "Wait, what about vampire blood?" she suggests, eyes lighting up like a light bulb. "I once saw a movie where this vampire totally fed the girl he loves his blood after she got into a car accident. It healed her. If we were to feed Quinn your blood, would it be able to heal her?"

Stefan shakes his head, sighing heavily. "Vampire blood can heal human injuries, but it can't cure cancer. You think if it did I would've had Quinn take some already?"

"Well if Quinn becoming a vampire is the only way to save her life, then I'm going to give that girl a serious talking to." Santana announces, pushing past them both to get to Quinn's door. Stefan holds her back before she can do so though. He could hear from his place that Quinn had fallen asleep and the last thing he wanted was Santana to wake her just so she could yell at her for making the 'wrong' choice.

"I already talked to her, Santana," Rachel speaks up. "And I think she's thinking it over."

Santana shrugs Stefan off, glaring at him slightly. "Well then once I add my two cents, she will be practically begging Stefan to turn her right here. So if you'll excuse me…"

Stefan grabs her arm again, preventing her from leaving. "Santana, she's been worked up enough already today. She needs to rest. The last thing she needs is another one of her friends going off on her." he says firmly, throwing a disapproving look Rachel's way.

"Hey, it was necessary _and _effective." Rachel counters, frowning.

Santana sighs, exasperated. "Fine, I'll wait, but I will eventually go off on that girl. Mark my words." She scoffs at the looks they give her in response. "Whatever. Anyways I have better places to be." she states, picking up her bag and throwing it over her shoulder.

"What about Brittany's phone?"

"Knowing her it's probably just lost in her bra." she replies, shrugging. "But if it is in Q's room, I'll just get it later or something. See you two losers later."

"Santana." Santana reluctantly stops and turns around to face Stefan. "No one can know about my secret."

She doesn't hesitate to roll her eyes. "Calm yourself, parasite. I won't tell anyone about you. I know better than to go against a vampire. I'm not an idiot. I've seen movies." After a second she adds, "But in exchange for me keeping your secret, do you think you could do me a favor?"

Stefan looks at her warily as does Rachel. "It depends, what is it?"

Santana abruptly whips out a piece of paper out of her Cheerios jacket and hands it to Stefan. "It's my hit list." she explains, watching him look it over. "I keep your secret and you wipe out everyone on the list. Feel free to start with whomever you like."

"Hey, I'm on your list!" Rachel exclaims, reading the list over Stefan's shoulder.

"Of course you are munchkin. You're like my number one. Are you really surprised? I mean, I've told you that you're on my list like a billion times already."

"I didn't think you had an actual list!"

"Okay now you're annoying me again." Santana snaps her fingers obediently. "Okay, Stefan, you can kill this one."

Though amused, Stefan folds up Santana's hit list and hands it back to her. "I am not killing anyone, Santana."

Santana frowns. "What fun is it to be a vampire if you don't kill anyone?" she wonders, dismayed.

"I am so glad that _you _are not the vampire, Santana" Rachel says with a relieved shake of her head.

"Yeah, because if I were, you'd totally be dead." Santana smirks, flashing her bare teeth (which are surprisingly sharp for a human, Stefan notices).

Rachel folds her arms across her chest, unamused. "Weren't you just leaving?"

Santana glares at her before looking to Stefan again. "Tell Quinn I want to talk to her later."

"I have a feeling she's going to slushie me tomorrow." Rachel sighs, speaking up when the Latina disappears down the hall. "I better go buy another poncho." She readjusts her bag on her shoulder and turns to Stefan. "I'll see you later. Call me if you or Quinn need anything."

He nods. "Thanks, Rachel."

"And don't worry," she tells him before leaving, "I know everything will work out one way or the other."

—

After Santana and Rachel leave, Stefan returns to Quinn's room. He gently closes the door behind him, not wanting to wake Quinn up. Unfortunately he ends up doing so anyways, her eyes fluttering open at the minor sound. "I'm sorry I woke you." he immediately apologizes, quietly maneuvering around her bed. She seemed paler than when he had stormed out and leaves him regretting ever letting Rachel talk to her. It had probably been too much for her to handle in this weakened state.

"I wasn't sleeping." she assures, straightening up. "Just thinking. I'm sorry." she apologizes when he gently takes her back in his arms.

He shakes his head, pressing his lips against her hair. "No, _I'm_ the one that's sorry. I shouldn't have stormed out on you like that. At least not until I heard your side of the story, which I heard you tell to Rachel."

"I figured you were." she nods, seemingly fine with it.

"I won't force you to become a vampire, Quinn." he sighs, taking her hand in his. "If dying is what you want then I will respect your wishes and support your decision." he promises.

"Stefan…"

"Do you love me?"

She stares at him oddly but nods regardless. "Of course I do. With all my heart."

"Then will you do something for me?" he asks, looking at her expectantly.

She smiles and squeezes his hand promisingly. "Anything."

Taking a deep breath, he then asks, "Will you marry me?"

Blinking her shock, she utters, "Are you serious?" she asks, her hazel eyes wide.

He nods earnestly. "I love you and every single thing about you. You've given me a purpose, a reason to be good, a reason to feel. I want to spend every last moment of your life with you. But what I want more than that is to spend every last moment of your life as your husband. I will always love you, Quinn. You are the love of my existence, forever and always, something which will never change, even if you say no."

Swallowing hard, she exhales shakily. "Before I answer you, do you mind if I say something first?" He shakes his head.

"I thought I had a good reason as to why I didn't want to become a vampire." she begins quietly, her hand still in his. "But after talking with Rachel, or rather, _her _talking to _me_, I realized something." She lifts her gaze to his. "I've been able to live without my mom for the past nine years, granted I still miss her terribly everyday, but I managed. But you, Stefan, I can't possibly imagine being without you for that amount of time, or any amount of time for that matter."

"For the longest time, my biggest fear was the idea that I would never see my mother again. But now that I have you, that has changed. My biggest fear is the idea of never seeing you again, never being able to hold you, kiss you, or touch you. I'm scared of not being with you, Stefan." she confesses, silently allowing tears to cascade down her cheeks.

"We don't ever have to be apart from each other, Quinn." he reminds gently.

"I want to spend forever with you, Stefan." She nods resolutely. "I want to become a vampire."

Though overjoyed, he has to clarify. "Are you sure this is what you want? I don't want you to make a decision because it's what you think I want. All I want is for you to be happy."

"This is what I want, Stefan." she promises, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "And spending the rest of eternity as your wife would make me the happiest person on earth."

Stefan's brow knits together in confusion. "Wait, so you're saying yes?"

Giggling, she nods, smiling brightly. "Yes. Yes, Stefan. I will marry you."


	12. We Found Love

"Yes, Stefan. I will marry you."

Quinn could tell by the look on Stefan's face that he was still having a bit of trouble processing those words, something she can't help but find amusing.

"Really?" he questions, brow still furrowed. "I mean are you sure? I honestly wasn't expecting you to say yes." he admits, clearly embarrassed.

She shakes her head, still smiling. "I love you Stefan and I would be honored to become your wife. I just have one condition."

He looks at her. "What is it?"

Biting her lip anxiously, she tells him, "I want you to turn me _after_ we get married."

He nods agreeingly, though admittedly he doesn't quite understand why. "Okay. But wouldn't you want to be completely healthy on your wedding day?" he wonders.

"I kind of want to be human when we get married." she responds, fiddling with her blankets. "I just don't want to be bloodthirsty for everyone in the room as I walk down the aisle." she explains sheepishly.

"Makes sense." he nods, understanding now. "When would you want to get married? Right away?"

The eagerness at which Quinn nods makes Stefan's heart swell with pride. "As soon as possible." she says, laughing at her own enthusiasm.

"Okay, well we have to book the chapel that your mother grew up in, we're going to need to -" Quinn cuts him off by placing a finger to his lips, effectively silencing him. "What?" he frowns.

"First things first." she chuckles, dropping her finger. "We have to tell my father."

Stefan makes a face, his expression contorting into a grimace. "He'll probably shoot me. You do realize that, right?"

She playfully rolls her eyes at him. "He won't shoot you. Well, not if we tell him together."

"Well should I go get him now?" he inquires even though he already knows the answer.

Quinn nods, watching as he rises from his seat. "Please?"

He leaves the room only to return a few moments later with Mr. Fabray in tow. "Are you okay, honey?" he looks to Quinn worriedly, assuming something was wrong.

"I'm fine, daddy." she reassures, beckoning him forward and patting the side of her bed. "Sit down. Stefan and I have something we want to tell you."

Mr. Fabray looks between them, eyeing them both warily. "Okay?" He reluctantly takes a seat on the chair beside her bed while Stefan gravitates to her other side.

"It's good news, daddy." she promises, biting down on her lip in attempt to suppress some of her excitement.

Stefan hesitates for a moment and shares a look with Quinn, before turning to her father. "Well, sir. I asked Quinn to marry me and she accepted."

"You what?" Mr. Fabray exclaims, bounding upright out of surprise.

"Stefan and I are getting married, daddy." Quinn calmly explains, tugging on her father's sleeve to get him to sit back down. "We would really love it if we had your blessing."

Mr. Fabray clears his throat. "I…well…I see…" he drifts off uncomfortably, still taken aback by this sudden turn of events.

"I know that this is probably the last thing you want to hear, sir," Stefan begins, his fingers interlocked with Quinn's, "but I am madly in love with your daughter and I want to spend every single moment of her life together."

"You two are awfully young to be getting married…"

"You and mom were only two years older than Stefan and I are now when you got married." she reminds.

"Yeah, b-but that was a different time," he splutters. "It was more common…"

"Dad." she sighs heavily and takes her father's hand with her free one. "You and I both know that I haven't got much time left. I want to spend it with Stefan, _as his wife._"

"I understand that sweetie but are you sure this is what you want?" Mr. Fabray asks, looking to them both expectantly. "What you both want?"

First sharing a look, Stefan and Quinn nod their heads. "We're sure."

"But are you sure this isn't just because you two want to be…" Mr. Fabray coughs uncomfortably. "Intimate?"

Mortified, Quinn exclaims, "Dad! Oh my gosh…no!" She shakes her head, grossed out. "That's not…no!"

Stefan himself can't help but cringe. "Please sir, never say _intimate_ like that again."

Mr. Fabray holds up his hands defensively. "I'm just asking. It's not uncommon these days. I just wanted to make sure that you two want this for the right reasons."

"Daddy, we love each other so much." Quinn tells him earnestly. "This isn't just a whim. This is what we want. We are completely committed to one another." Glancing back at Stefan, she adds, "For rest of our existences."

Mr. Fabray sighs heavily. "Well if it will make you happy…"

Quinn squeals excitedly and throws her arms around her father before he can utter another word. "Thank you so much, daddy."

Mr. Fabray laughs slightly, turning and kissing her head. "Take it easy, Quinny, your heart rate is going up."

She reluctantly lets go of her father with a sheepish smile. "Whoops." she giggles.

"So there's a lot of things we have to figure out." Mr. Fabray begins, clearing his throat. "Like when -"

"As soon as possible." Quinn and Stefan both answer.

Mr. Fabray nods. "Okay and where…"

"I want to get married at the church where mom grew up." Quinn answers, smiling softly. "Where you two got married."

Clearly touched, Mr. Fabray leans forward and kisses her forehead. "Okay, sweetie. I'll make the arrangements. I believe I still have the church's number." He pulls back at looks to them expectantly. "How big you do want this wedding to be?"

Quinn and Stefan glance at each other before she responds, "Not that big. After all it's just you and glee club I really want there."

Nodding, Mr. Fabray turns to Stefan. "What about you, Stefan? How many people do you think you'd want to invite."

"Actually I don't really have any family left. My parents have passed on and I'm not in touch with any other family members."

"My condolences." Mr. Fabray offers with a sympathetic nod. Stefan just raises his shoulders.

"I will call up the church in Belleville, see what their schedule's like, okay?" Mr. Fabray continues, glancing back at Quinn.

She smiles appreciatively up at him. "Thank you, daddy."

Mr. Fabray gives her one last smile before heading out of the room, leaving Stefan and Quinn alone together one again.

Quinn turns to him and exhales. "I can't believe this is really happening." she beams.

"I know, it's crazy, but in a good way." he chuckles, leaning forward and pecking her lips.

"Definitely." she agrees.

—

A few days later Stefan finds himself driving to Chicago to pick up a ring for Quinn. He had lived in Chicago for a majority of his vampire life and knew of a jewelry store that sold vintage pieces. He knew he could just find something in Lima but he wanted the best for her and as far as he was concerned, the best was in Chicago.

He had been talking to her nonstop since he got on the road because he couldn't stand going a few hours without hearing her voice but after a few hours, he could sense from the other line that Quinn was getting tired so he promised he would talk to her later.

In the meanwhile he kept the radio blasting out the Bon Jovi. He was in the middle of rocking out to the chorus of _Livin' On a Prayer_ when suddenly his phone started to ring. He frowns, immediately snatching it off the passenger seat and pressing the thing to his ear. "Hello?" He hadn't expected Quinn to call him so soon.

"Stefan, it's Rachel."

He turns down the volume on the radio. "Hey, Rachel, what's up?"

"I just stopped by the hospital but they said that Quinn had checked out. She's okay, right? Nothing happened?"

"She's fine." he assures. "I just paid for private home care that way she wouldn't have to spend her days in the hospital." Ever since sectionals her doctors have advised her to stay under their care but since Quinn doesn't like hospitals, he figured it was perfect solution.

"That's very sweet of you."

He chuckles. "Yeah, well it's the duty of the _fiancé _to do that kind of stuff, right?"

He could just picture Rachel's eyes widening on the other line. "The what? _Fiancé_? Is that what you just said?"

Grinning, he explains. "I asked Quinn to marry me and she said yes."

Rachel screams so loud that it even hurt _his_ ears. "I can't believe this! Oh my god! This - it's amazing! I'm so happy for you two! Oh my god, I think I'm going to cry…"

"We also talked about her becoming a vampire." he mentions casually , knowing it would catch her attention. He could hear her sharp intake of breath on the other line. "And?"

"And she agreed. She wants to become a vampire."

"See! I knew she would change her mind!" Rachel exclaims. "Me talking to her totally worked! You can start thanking me now."

He rolls his eyes and laughs. "Thank you, Rachel."

"Do you need a wedding planner? Cause I can totally turn your wedding into the next royal wedding! All I need is-"

"It's not necessary, Rachel, but thanks." he says appreciatively. "We've got the church, we've-"

"Do you have a place for the reception? Do you have a florist? Do you know where you're getting your tux? Has Quinn got a dress? Have you sent out the invitations? Do you have a band for the reception?"

Stefan pauses, not realizing all that went into a wedding. "Uh, no. I mean not yet. We just got engaged."

He can practically hear Rachel roll her eyes on the other line. "The New Directions will be the live entertainment, I'll call up Finn's mom to ask where she and Burt got the flower arrangements for their wedding and also about a place where you can get a tux. As for the invitations…just leave it all to me, Salvatore."

"Rachel you really don't need to…"

"I insist, besides it sounds like you need my help. And the best part, I'll do it for _free_! All I need is a credit card… Do you at least have a ring for her?"

"I'm on my way to get one now." he says, partially relieved that he was doing something right.

"Oh no, let me come with you. A man should never go alone to pick out his fiancée's wedding ring. It's practically law that you go with a female friend or a gay buddy."

"I don't need your help on this, Rachel." he assures, ready to hang up. "But thanks again."

She huffs in frustration. "Stefan! Men are not capable of-"

He hangs up without another thought and tosses his phone back onto his passenger seat.

—

Rachel all but runs to the choir room the second her last class of the day lets out, eager to tell the others the big news. But of course, she waits a sufficient amount of time for the others to arrive to practice before she made her entrance. (News as big as this needed a dramatic entrance). So she waits until Mr. Schuester starts talking before bursting into the room, effectively interrupting him. "I have big news!" she announces brightly, ignoring Mr. Schuester's displeased expression.

"Rachel you're late." he sighs.

"Sorry" she quickly apologizes before stopping in the center of the room. She turns to the rest of the club. "But I have big news concerning one of our members."

Finn stands up, concerned. "Is it Quinn? Is she okay? She didn't-" Everyone looks at her with wide eyes, thinking the worst had happened.

"No guys, she's fine." she assures, waving them off. "What I have to tell you all is _good_ news. Great news, actually. Quinn and Stefan are getting married!" she exclaims, clapping her hands enthusiastically. The choir room was immediately filled with various responses, all of them varying levels of excitement.

"So it looks like there's going to be another glee wedding!" Rachel squeals, practically jumping up and down at this point.

"Wait, they said we could perform at the wedding?" Finn inquires when the chatter amongst themselves dies down.

"Well basically yes." Rachel nods.

Mr. Schuester eyes her skeptically. "Did they _actually_ say that they wanted us to perform, Rachel? Or did you just say that we would without their full consent?" he questions, brow arched.

"What does it matter? You said it yourself that we need to gear up for regionals and what better way to do so that with more performances?" To her surprise, everyone seemed to back her up on this one. (That rarely happened.)

"Get their permission first, Rachel." Mr. Schuester says sternly. "I don't want their special day to be compromised because you decided to sign us up as the entertainment."

"They're going to say _yes_, Mr. Schue." Rachel sighs, dramatically rolling her eyes. "So we might as well get cracking on song selections!" she chirps, turning to the others, "As for what I think we should sing…"

Of course all hell breaks loose after that, the group's camaraderie becoming short lived as everyone began to argue over which songs should be singing them and who would be singing the leads.

And per usual, it ends with Santana threatening to go all Lima Heights on everyone, especially Rachel.

—

Two weeks pass and before Quinn knows it, it's the morning of the wedding. Though her stomach was fluttering with butterflies, she wasn't anxious about her big day. Quite the opposite actually, she was ecstatic and incredibly excited. Her dream was coming true and she couldn't wait for it to happen.

Thankfully today was a good day for her, health wise that is. Although her health had slightly gone down ever since she collapsed at sectionals -it was getting to the point where she found it hard to walk on some days - she refused to let that get in the way of the wedding. Unfortunately though Stefan had taken notice also - how could he not, - and kept suggesting that they postpone the wedding until _after_ she became a vampire. She rejected the idea every time he brought it up though. She wanted this to be the last human experience she had before she became apart of the undead.

Quinn couldn't help but peek into her closet every so often just to get a glimpse at her wedding dress. Finn's mother had helped her pick it out online. Even though she and Finn hadn't worked out she had formed a close relationship with Mrs. Hudson, er…_Mrs. Hummel_. After all she was the closest person Quinn had to a mother and Mrs. Hummel really treated her as though she were her own child.

The dress itself was exquisite. Thanks to Stefan's so called 'inheritance' she was able to get a spectacular wedding dress from a New York bridal boutique. Nothing too extravagant or over the top but nothing too plain either. It was absolutely perfect.

Slowly making her way over to her window, she looks down at her backyard where the reception was to take place after the ceremony at the church. She could faintly see Rachel bossing the glee guys around as they helped set up tables. Rachel had become their official wedding planner, taking care of every little detail just so that Quinn wouldn't have to stress about it which was admittedly nice.

"Hey! No peeking!"

Quinn nearly jumps out of her skin at the sudden voice. She turns around and smiles brightly as Kurt and the glee girls walk into her room. The girls were dressed in lavender bridesmaids dresses and while Kurt dressed in the suit he had worn to his father's wedding, only this time around he wore a lavender tie to match the girl's outfit. "You all look amazing." she comments.

"I know _I_ do." Santana announces, walking over to Quinn for a hug. "As for these fools…"

Quinn rolls her eyes and returns the embrace. Pulling away, Santana asks her gently, "How do you feel?"

"I feel good." she assures. Santana nods understandingly, then leans in closer to her so that the others couldn't hear. "Rachel told me that you changed your mind about the whole…you know…decision." Quinn nods conformingly.

Santana gives her another hug; this surprises her. "I'm so glad. Cause I don't want to lose you, Q. None of us do, at least not now."

"Santana you're going to make me cry." she says shakily, laughing slightly.

"Oh no, none of that!" Kurt exclaims, promptly pulling Santana away from her, "The last thing we need is a puffy faced bride with red eyes." Quinn smiles and graciously takes the handkerchief he offers her. He looks around and clasps his hands together. "Okay. Now where's your make-up and your curling iron and your…"

"Everything's in the bathroom." she interrupts, pointing to the door across the room. Kurt nods and promptly fetches everything they needed from it.

Quinn gravitates back to her closet, eager to take another peek at her wedding dress. It was just so beautiful, she couldn't stop looking at it.

Mercedes comes up behind her and touches her shoulders. "You'll get to wear it soon enough, baby girl." she reassures, taking her hand and leading her away from her closet. "But first we have to do your hair and make-up."

"Not that you need anything done really, I mean you look radiant just as you are." Kurt says with a hint of jealously as he emerges from her bathroom.

"I wish I could just roll out of bed and just look like you do." Tina sighs from her place on Quinn's bed.

"Okay, c'mon ya'll, the sooner we finish making her up, the sooner we can get her into that dress. Which is what she's anxiously awaiting to do." Mercedes chuckles, gesturing to Tina and Brittany to get up and help.

Everyone in the room jumps at the sound of a loud crash taking place outside which is shortly followed by Rachel's yelling.

"Finally a house fell on that wicked witch." Santana snickers.

"That girl has gone crazy." Mercedes shakes her head, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "You give her a little power…"

Santana sets down Quinn's hairbrush on her vanity table. "I better make sure everything's alright."

On her way down the stairs, Santana runs into Stefan who was going up them. "The man of the hour." she greets, blocking his passage. "Where do you think you're going?"

Stefan frowns and gestures behind her, brow raised. "Uh, upstairs? To see Quinn?"

"It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding, genius." she scoffs, rolling her eyes. "Go back downstairs, you should be heading to the chapel now anyways."

"But-"

"Go!" she exclaims, practically shooing him back downstairs. "Oh wait." She grabs onto his shoulder and yanks him backward (actually yanks him, a vampire, back). "Before you do, let me see the ring. Rachel told me you picked it out by yourself and I nearly had a god damn heart attack."

"What are you implying?" he questions, brow furrowed. "That I don't have good taste?"

"Exactly. Have you seen that gaudy ass thing on your finger lately?" she snorts, referring to his daylight ring.

Stefan just rolls his eyes while Santana beckons to him. "Hand over the ring, Salvatore."

Sighing, Stefan reluctantly pulls the ring out of his pocket and hands it over to her.

After opening the box and glancing at the ring, she snaps it closed and nods her approval. "Alright. It's somewhat decent. Looks real too."

Stefan stares at her until she caves. "Alright it's freakin' amazing." she concedes, huffing slightly. "Sorry for doubting your taste before."

Stefan slips the ring back in his pocket and smirks before heading back downstairs.

—

"So what are you all singing at the reception?" Quinn asks curiously as Kurt put the finishing touches on her makeup. Everyone just smiles knowingly to themselves.

"That is for us to know and for you to find out later." Kurt teases, lightly tapping her nose with his brush. "But as per your guys' request, we diverted away from any Broadway selections. That's all I'll say about it."

"And that's all you better say." Rachel says seriously, entering the room along with Santana. She walks over to Quinn to give her a hug but Kurt intervenes before she has the chance to do so. "No smudging my masterpiece!" Kurt scolds, shooing her away.

Rolling her eyes, Rachel pushes past him and hugs Quinn anyways. "How are you feeling?"

"Good." she responds, pulling back with a smile. "How's everything going? What was with that crash?"

"Nothing, don't worry about." Rachel waves off. "Just Finn having a Frankenteen moment."

"Okay, all done!" Kurt announces proudly, stepping back to take a good look at his masterpiece. After doing so he and Mercedes high-five each other.

"Damn we're good." Mercedes laughs.

Kurt nods in agreement, admiring the finger waves in Quinn's hair. "Damn straight."

"Now let's put that dress on you!" Rachel all but squeals, thankful she had come up at the right moment.

"Jesus Christ." is all Santana can say as everyone takes in Quinn when she emerges in her formfitting off-white lace dress.

"You put Grace Kelly to shame." Kurt whispers, shaking his head.

"You put every bride ever in existence to shame." Rachel utters, in absolute awe of Quinn's beauty. Everyone nods in agreement.

"Yeah, who knew under all those flowy dresses, Quinn Fabray was hiding a damn fine ass." Santana comments, referring to how Quinn's form fitting dress hugged _all of her_.

Everyone laughs at how fast Quinn's face reddens. "Stefan is a lucky man." Kurt sighs, taking her hand and twirling her around gently.

Quinn glances at herself in the mirror, biting down on her lip. "Do you think Stefan is going to like it?"

Santana can't help but laugh. "Honey he doesn't care what you wear. But yes, he is most definitely going to like it. He'll love it."

Rachel glances over at Quinn's clock. "We better get going guys, we wouldn't want the bride to be late to her own wedding."

Mercedes snorts, while everyone begins grabbing things they would need in case of an emergency. "Haven't you ever heard of being fashionably late?"

Rachel rolls her eyes. "That does not apply to your own wedding, Mercedes. It just makes you look unpunctual."

—

The church was a few towns over from Lima. While the church itself was small, it was surrounded by the numerous trees and had massive garden. Quaint and perfectly Quinn, Stefan understood why her number one was to be married here.

Readjusting his tie, Stefan exhales deeply before heading inside the church - the first church he had ever been in since he was human. Walking down the aisle, he spots Quinn's father talking to the Reverend and the glee guys hanging around up front. There were a few people he didn't recognize sitting in the pews but Finn later introduces them as family friends of Quinn's from their church, as well as Finn and Kurt's parents.

Stefan takes his place at the alter and smiles at Finn when the taller boy comes up to take his place behind him, acting as best man. Ever since Quinn's accident, Stefan had, surprisingly, grown closer to her friends and was now able to call them _his_ friends as well.

Not realizing how he was tapping his foot, Stefan jumps slightly when Finn suddenly clasps him on his shoulder. "Relax, man." he says with a laugh. "You'll be married soon enough."

When Rachel signals the pianist to start, Stefan feels as though his heart was going to leap out of his chest at any given moment. He sucks in a sharp breath as the girls take their places in the pews. This was it.

He lifts his gaze as the church doors creak open and is pretty sure his breath catches at the sight of Quinn. She was absolutely radiant. He swallows hard, doing everything in his power to keep himself in check, but it was all so overwhelming in the best possible way. He never wanted to forget how he felt on this day, not that he ever thought he would.

His body was practically humming with anticipation as Quinn and her father neared the alter. He could hear her heartbeat quickening with every step she took and for a moment he worried that this was all too much for her, but then, as if she could read his mind, she gives him a reassuring smile.

It isn't until she was standing beside him at the alter that he realizes he had been holding his breath. They stare at each other, mouthing the words, _I love you _to one another, while they join hands. They're so lost in each other that they barely pay attention to the Reverend as he opens with the verse they had read together in the hospital. When they finally get to the vows, Stefan finally turns his attention to the reverend, not wanting to embarrass himself. "Do you, Stefan Salvatore, take Lucy Quinn Fabray to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"_To have and to hold_

_From this day forward_

_For better, for worse_

_For richer, for poorer_

_In sickness and in health_

_To love and to cherish_

_For as long as you both shall live?"_

"I do." Stefan nods, smiling back at Quinn adoringly.

The reverend turns to Quinn. "And do you, Lucy Quinn Fabray take Stefan Salvatore to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"_To have and to hold_

_From this day forward_

_For better, for worse_

_For richer, for poorer_

_In sickness and in health_

_To love and to cherish_

_For as long as you both shall live?"_

Quinn nods, smiling brightly. "I do."

Finn and Rachel each hand Stefan and Quinn their rings to exchange. Quinn can't help but gasp at the sight of her ring as Stefan slides it on her finger. Once they have their rings on, they look to the reverend expectantly.

"Now by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Stefan, you may now kiss your bride."

Quinn feels her cheeks redden ever so slightly as Stefan leans down and captures her lips with his. She could hear the small chapel erupt into applause, especially from the glee club, but in that moment it didn't matter. She was only aware of her and Stefan and no one else.

Stefan takes both her hand in his, interlocking their fingers. "I love you." she whispers breathlessly.

"Forever." he vows, touching her forehead against his before kissing her forehead.

—

For the reception Quinn's backyard was completely transformed thanks in part to Rachel's handiwork. There were several hanging lights that made it look like the stars were just above their heads.

"You sure you're okay to dance?" Stefan asks, concerned, as Quinn leads him onto the makeshift dance floor.

She nods reassuringly. "I'll be fine. It's not like we're going to jitterbug." she chuckles.

He brings her into his arms and smirks. "Now what would you know about the jitterbug?"

"I know that I was a jitterbug dancing champ when I was a kid." she states matter of factly. Stefan's eyebrows hike in surprise. "Really?"

Quinn laughs, shaking her head. "I wish."

"And here you got my hopes up _Mrs. Salvatore._" he chuckles, gently swaying with her as the glee club sang Nat King Cole's _L-O-V-E. _

Sighing, Quinn turns and kisses his cheek. "I do believe I have _the_ best name ever." she giggles.

"Mmm, that you do." he murmurs, closing his eyes in peaceful content as she starts softly singing along to the lyrics in his ear.

He nuzzles her cheek and pulls back a little so he can look down into her eyes. "You know, I never thought it was possible that I could ever love someone so strongly. I thought I was condemned to eternity as a monster. I didn't think that I could change, mainly because I never had a reason to. But now I do." he half smiles. "I have you, Quinn. You opened my heart in so many ways. Know that no matter what you will always be my angel, my guiding light. You're more than just in my heart, you are my heart. You're my everything and I cannot wait for our forever to start."

Overwhelmed, she lifts her hand to cup his cheek. "You know I asked you not to fall in love with me, but frankly, I've never been so happy to have someone break a promise to me. You've done so much for me, Stefan." she says earnestly, tears welling up in her eyes. "You've made me so happy. Happier than I ever thought imaginable. You're a dream come true, Stefan Salvatore. You're _my_ dream come true."

He was definitely not going to have any problem loving and cherishing this angel for the rest of his existence.


	13. A Nova Vida

"_For one so small,  
>you seem so strong<br>My arms will hold you,  
>keep you safe and warm<br>This bond between us  
>Can't be broken<br>I will be here  
>Don't you cry<em>

_'Cause you'll be in my heart  
>Yes, you'll be in my heart<br>From this day on  
>Now and forever more…"<em>

"I really don't want this night to end." Quinn sighs, leaning into Stefan's shoulder as they gently swayed to glee club's rendition of Phil Collin's _You'll Be In My Heart_.

"Was it everything you hoped for?" Stefan asks quietly, lifting his chin from her head so he could properly look down at her.

Lifting her gaze, she laughs, her eyes sparkling happily, "More so than I could have possibly imagined."

"Are you tired yet?" he questions, concerned. "We've been dancing for a long time…."

"I'm fine." she assures, shaking her head. "Promise."

They fall back into a content silence as they danced, sharing with each other the overwhelming emotion that neither of them could possibly put into words. Unfortunately the moment is interrupted all too soon by Quinn's father. Stefan reluctantly lets go of Quinn prompting her to look up at him curiously.

"Mind if I cut in?" Mr. Fabray asks from behind her.

Stefan wordlessly nods and after sharing a look with Quinn, hands her over to her father before making his way off the dance floor.

"You look quite dashing in a tux, daddy." Quinn comments, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You should wear one more often."

Mr. Fabray shakes his head uncomfortably, making a face. "I feel like a penguin." His gaze fits over her. "You look beautiful, Quinny. Have I told you that already?"

Blushing, she nods embarrassedly. "Only about a hundred times already, dad."

"Well once more couldn't hurt." he says, smiling weakly. "You know, you look more and more like your mother every passing day, especially now."

She smiles sadly, resting her head against her father's chest. "I wish she was here." she murmurs.

He kisses her hair and sighs. "Me too, sweetie. Me too."

Her eyes fall close over their own accord when her father starts rubbing soothing circles on her like he used to do when she was a little girl. "Are you sure you aren't tired?" he asks, his voice laced with concern much like Stefan's had been earlier. "I can kick everyone out if you want to call it a night already."

"Daddy, I'm fine." she promises, a little annoyed that everyone seemed to think she couldn't handle all this without getting tired.

—

Stefan watches from the sidelines as Quinn dances with her father, a smile spreading across his face at the sight of her happiness.

"Dance with me, Salvatore."

Stefan doesn't need to turn around to know whose voice that belonged to but he does so anyways, reluctantly taking his gaze off Quinn. "Hello, Santana." he greets. "Enjoying yourself?"

"It'd be a lot more fun if there weren't so many preachy Christians around." she responds, referring to the many church goers that Quinn's father had invited. "They kept on giving me and Brittany dirty looks while we were dancing. I was this close to flipping them the bird."

Sighing, he holds out his hand to her. "Maybe it was because you and Brittany were practically dry humping each other on the dance floor." he reminds, leading her over to an unoccupied spot. He brings her to him and the two of them start swaying.

"So you were watching, huh? Is that what turns you on, Salvatore?" she smiles smugly, placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Hate to break it to you, Santana but my wife is the only one that turns me on." he replies.

Santana rolls her eyes. "Ugh. You are so whipped. It's really pathetic and super annoying, you know that?"

Stefan just shrugs, a smile playing on his lips.

"So, when are you going to change her?" she can't help but ask, catching sight of Quinn out of the corner of her eyes.

"Whenever she wants." he replies. "Her only condition was that I do it after we got married. Now that we have, it's really up to her when exactly we do it."

Santana nods understandingly. "So what about the other it?" she smirks.

Stefan's brow furrows in confusion. "What other…" his words drift off when Santana interrupts with her laughter.

"You know what other _it _I'm talking about, Stefan." she chuckles. "The one that involves you two getting naked and doing the nasty." Noticing his embarrassed expression, her continues, "What have you got be embarrassed about? It's not like you haven't done it before."

"Can we talk about something else?" he asks, shaking his head. "This isn't something I'm comfortable talking to you about. No offense."

"And why not?" Her brow furrows. "I'm a freakin' expert on the subject. I know everything there is to know about the horizontal tango and all the nastiness that comes with it."

"Jeez Santana, can you even go five minutes without talking about sex?" Rachel sighs, overhearing their conversation from where she was dancing with Finn.

"Fuck off, troll." Santana replies off-handedly, not even bothering to properly address her.

"Santana, language…"

She sighs heavily, nearly rolling her eyes. "Sorry, but this is what happens when you don't serve booze."

Puck, overhearing this, walks up to them with his signature smirk. "Look what I got." he says quietly, gesturing to the flask he stored in the inside of his tux.

Relieved, Santana snatches the flask out of his hands before he can even officially offer her some. "Thank God for you, Puckerman."

Stefan snatches the flask out of her hands before she can take a sip. "The last thing I want is you getting drunk and doing something stupid." He tosses the flask back to Puck, who quickly stashes it away as an elderly couple passes them on the dance floor.

"Please, Stefan." Santana scoffs. "It's takes a lot more alcohol than that to get me wasted."

Shaking his head, Stefan allows his gaze to fall back onto Quinn and her father. He figures it was about time he took his bride back. "If you'll excuse me." he says to Santana, excusing himself before crossing the dance floor and making his way over to Quinn.

Quinn instantly spots him over her father's shoulder and in response her eyes light up. "Hey, you." she greet when he's close enough. "Having a good time with Santana?"

He laughs slightly, making a face that could be interpreted in different ways. "Let's just say I'll be happy when it's time for us to go home."

Mr. Fabray looks at Stefan, confused. "What do you mean by _us_?"

Before Stefan can explain, Quinn jumps in. "Yeah, daddy, I thought I would stay at Stefan's tonight."

He turns back to her, his hands dropping from her waist. "What?"

"It's our wedding night." she reminds gently. "Don't you think we should spend it together, like a normal couple would?"

Mr. Fabray looks at her horrified. "Daddy, I'm not talking about sex." she assures quickly, blushing slightly. "I'm just saying that what did you think would happen after today? That everything would go back to the way it was? Stefan and I are married now, daddy. We should live under _one_ roof…"

"You want to move in with Stefan?"

"Well, yeah." she nods. "He is my husband after all. Once you get married, isn't that the next step? To live with one another?"

"You're only seventeen!" he protests, looking between them both. "Neither one of you have jobs, how would he provide for you, how would-"

"Daddy, please take a breath." she pleads, touching his shoulder. "Remember, you have high blood pressure." Mr. Fabray merely grumbles something under his breath.

"You don't have to worry about Stefan not being able to provide for me. He's had jobs in the past, he has money saved up, he has a large trust fund. There's nothing to worry about." she promises, glancing over to Stefan who nodded as well.

"This is just all happening so fast." Mr. Fabray mutters, running a hand stressfully though his hair. "When I agreed to let you get married I didn't think about the fact of you moving out."

"It's not like I'm moving far away, daddy." she sighs. "I'll be fifteen minutes away. We can still see each other everyday."

"We can still do that if you stayed at home." he points out quietly.

"Dad…."

Sighing, he reluctantly relents. "Fine, you have my blessing to move in with Stefan. But don't think that just because you are married and living on your own that you can drop out of school." he says sternly, eyeing them both.

She laughs softly, shaking her head. "That was the furthest thing from my mind, daddy."

"Just making sure." he replies, still eyeing Stefan warily.

"I promise that she will always be safe with me, sir." Stefan states with a firm nod. His gaze drifts over to Quinn as he says, "Always and Forever."

—

After a few hours the reception finally started to wind down and after many, many exchanges of hugs and congratulations, everyone left for the night. Quinn had felt a little guilty about leaving her father all alone but then reminded herself that this wouldn't be the last time she would be seeing him. Resting her head against Stefan's shoulder, she smiles at the sound of him softly singing along to The Police's _Every Breathe You Take_ on the drive home.

"Since when do you sing?" she inquires curiously, lifting her gaze from his shoulder.

"I always sing along to the radio." he informs with a chuckle.

"Since when?"

"Since always." he laughs, turning and kissing her forehead. As he reverts his attention back to the road, Quinn's phone beeps from inside her purse. Reaching over, she pulls it out of her clutch and opens the text message Santana had just sent her. It read: _Hope you finally get laid tonight, Q! And by hope, I mean YOU BETTER! I have a bet going with Puckerman so you better not let me down! -S. _

Shaking her head, Quinn reluctantly opens the second message from the Latina.

_P.S. here's a tip for ya. If you're unsure of what to do, this method never fails, guaranteed. Just suck on his d-_

Quinn exits out of the message without reading another word and quickly stuffs her phone back in her clutch, not wanting to read the rest of her message which was paragraphs long.

"Something wrong?" Stefan wonders, pulling up into the driveway and parking.

She shakes her head, still blushing like mad. "No, just Santana being vulgar again." she sighs.

"What else is new?" he half smiles, pulling the keys out of the ignition.

Not wanting her dress to drag on the floor, Quinn holds up the bottom in her hands as she makes her way toward the front door. She had barely gotten the door open with Stefan's key when he suddenly exclaims, "Hold on!"

She turns around just in time to have Stefan suddenly sweep her off the ground, holding her bridal style. She giggles. "What are you doing?"

"It's tradition to carry the bride across the threshold, _Slim._" he chuckles, pushing the front door open with his back and carrying her across the threshold. He kicks the door closed behind him once they're inside.

He proceeds to carry her through the house and up the stairs at human speed, finally setting her down once they reached his, now _their_, bedroom. Quinn instantly goes to take off her heels while Stefan took to putting her overnight bag on the bed.

Shrugging off his blazer, Stefan turns to her expectantly. "So what did you want to do now? Sleep?"

She lifts her gaze from her heels and when she sees that he's in the process of unbuttoning his shirt, she quickly averts her gaze as if she had seen something she shouldn't have. Which is ridiculous, she knows, because they were husband and wife now. It's perfectly normal to undress in front of each other.

"Are you okay?" comes Stefan's voice suddenly, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"I'm fine," she nods, still avoiding eye contact with him even though he had yet to remove any more clothing.

"If you're not comfortable, I can change in the bathroom."

She shakes her head. "Oh no, you go ahead, you go on and take off your clothes, I'm fine with it, really…" She begins to ramble on like she sometimes did when she was embarrassed and Stefan just takes it as a sign that she was a little shy about them undressing in front of each other.

He walks over to her without warning and kisses her cheek. "It's OK, Quinn. We just have to take things one step at a time."

She nods and sighs, watching longingly as he past her and disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

Unzipping her old Cheerio's duffel bag, she searches for her pajamas. As she looks through her bag though she realizes that she hadn't packed a shirt to sleep in. Her brow furrows in confusion, wondering how she could've forgotten such a thing. Biting on her lip, she turns around and walks over to Stefan's dresser. She rifles through his sleepwear before pulling out one of his shirts, figuring he wouldn't mind if she borrowed one.

After unzipping and shimmying out of her dress, she slips on her old Cheerio's shorts and Stefan's shirt. She gently lays out her dress over the back of Stefan's desk chair, not wanting it to wrinkle.

The bathroom door opens then and Stefan walks back into the bedroom, clad in only boxer briefs and a wife beater. She bites her lip at the sight and could clearly feel her cheeks start to redden again.

Stefan arches his eyebrow at the sight of her attire.

She smiles sheepishly in response. "Sorry, is it okay that I borrowed this? I can take it off if you mind…I mean I can change into something else." she says quickly, her cheeks flaring up again.

"No it's okay." he assures. "You look incredibly sexy in my shirt." he admits, unable to help but look her up and down, his gaze lingering on her bare legs that seemed to go on for miles.

Clearing her throat, she breaks Stefan's eye contact with her legs. "Sorry." he apologizes, smiling sheepishly.

Standing on opposite sides of the bed, they look at each other expectantly, neither one moving or making a motion to do so.

"So, we should probably go to bed." Quinn speaks up, biting her lip anxiously. Stefan nods in agreement and goes to turn off the lights.

Pulling back the covers, she looks back at him. "Um, do you have a side?"

"A what?"

Quinn gestures to the bed. "A side of the bed that you usually sleep on." she explains.

"Oh." he shakes his head, walking back over to the bed. "No, not really. Do you?"

She shakes her head, slipping in between the covers. "Nope, I kind of sleep wherever."

"Well that's good. That means no fighting over who gets which side." he says awkwardly, sliding under the covers through the other side.

Silence falls over them for a few moments before Quinn speaks up. "Why is this so awkward?" she whispers, rolling onto her side and propping her head up with her arm.

He does the same and shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe because we're over thinking what's _supposed_ to happen tonight?"

Quinn purses her lips anxiously. "Do _you _want something to happen tonight? I mean I know it's expected but…" she sighs, shaking her head. "What are you thinking right now?"

"I'm thinking that whatever you want do, I'll support it." he replies. "If you want to wait, that's fine with me. And if you don't want to wait, then that's fine with me too. We don't have to do anything you're not ready for just because it's 'tradition'."

She smiles gratefully at him and gently caresses the back of his hand, grazing up his arm. "I really don't think that we should, I mean, at least not while I'm like this." she says quietly. "But don't think that I don't want to, because I do. I _really_ do." she adds, making sure to put emphasis on it.

He nods understandingly. "I know. It's just not the right time yet. The last thing I would want is to hurt you."

"Once I become a vampire and am completely healthy, I will be more than happy to…" she drifts off, slightly making hand gestures to make up for the words she couldn't bring herself to say. Her cheeks blushing furiously and Stefan chuckles in response.

He wraps his arm around her torso and gently pulls her closer to him "You are too adorable for your own good, you know that?"

Scooting closer, she brushes the side of his face with her fingers. "I love you."

"Love you too." he murmurs, leaning down slowly and capturing her lips in a kiss. She smiles against his lips and eagerly kisses him back. Their lips never parting, her hands run up his arms and to the back of his neck as he carefully moves her onto her back, so that his body is partially hovering over hers.

Stefan allows his hand to travel down her side, skimming the hem of her shirt in the process. Quinn has to fight to breathe properly when his fingers slip under her shirt and proceed to caress the small of her back before moving down to her hip. She shivers when his lips leave hers and start a trail of kisses down her neck, his lips then going on to suck on a sensitive spot of her skin.

Moving her legs so that they were on either side of his, she instinctively hooks her left leg on the back of his thigh. She softly moans upon feeling Stefan's teeth gingerly nipping across her neck and collarbone, his hand still massaging her bare hip while the other kept his body propped up.

Sucking and licking down the side of her neck, Stefan can't help the low growl that escapes him when he feels her hands travel down the length of his back. When he feels his fangs elongate, he flings himself off the bed without another thought, knowing if he wasn't careful he could inadvertently hurt her. Or worse.

Quinn sits up in surprise when she sees Stefan with his back against the door. Taking notice of his bloodshot eyes with the dark veiny shadows beneath them, she quickly gets out of bed and walks over to him. "Stefan."

His body stiffens when she gingerly takes his face in her hands. He looks away from her ashamedly, his breathing ragged as he tries to calm himself down. She gently directs his gaze back to hers and when he meets her, she brushes her fingers across the veiny surface under his eyes and almost instantly sees them fade away. His muscles relax and when he no longer feels the urge to feed, he pushes himself away from the door and brings her into his arms. "You truly have a gift." he murmurs, pressing his lips against her temple. "Thank you."

"No problem." He scoops her up and carries her back to bed where they slip under the covers together. They share a few passionate kisses but are careful of not getting themselves as worked up as before. After a while, sleep over takes them and Stefan holds her close to his chest, with her back to him and his right arm extended under her head, his left arm over her left, with their fingers intertwined.

—

A few weeks after the wedding Quinn's health had worsened to the point where she had to be readmitted into the hospital. Things did not look so well for her this time around and together, she and Stefan decided that now was the time to turn her into a vampire.

"So go over with me again how this works?" Quinn asks him weakly, fiddling with her blankets anxiously. She couldn't even complete a sentence without becoming out of breath.

Stefan sits down at the edge of her bed and takes her hand in his. "You just have to die with my blood in your system. Once you're in transition, you'll just have to drink human blood to complete it. And then you'll be a vampire."

Swallowing hard, she clarifies, "So you don't have to bite me?" Stefan shakes his head.

"So we'll do this tonight, then?" she asks.

He nods. "If it's what you want, yeah."

"It's what I want," she nods. "I want to become a vampire already. I feel like I've pushed this back so far already. It's time we finally did it."

"Okay, just let me get everything prepared." Stefan replies, pushing himself off her bed. "I'll be back as soon as possible." he promises, leaning down and pecking her lips before leaving the room.

Quinn sighs to herself and with what strength she had left, picks up the remote off her bedside table and turns on the television. She shifts slightly and winces at how much her muscles ached. She leans back against her pillows, relaxing into them, and lifts her gaze up at the screen hoping that a little _I Love Lucy_ would help calm her arising nerves. After all, she was going to _die _today.

—

Later that evening, Stefan compels one of Quinn's nurses to follow him into Quinn's room. In Quinn's state, he didn't think that she would be able to keep his blood down if she drank it, so he had a nurse prepare it as an injection.

As soon as the nurse steps inside the room, Stefan locks the door behind her. Noticing the television screen, he comments, "Still having an _I Love Lucy _marathon, I see. The loving cup episode is the best one ever." he brings up casually, walking over to Quinn's side.

She scoffs weakly. "As if. The grape stomping one is the best one ever."

He chuckles and lowers the volume on the television with the remote. He looks back at her, his gaze now serious. "Are you sure about this?"

He knows he had to have asked her that at least a dozen times already but he needed to make sure this was really what she wanted.

Quinn nods, slightly looking away as the nurse prepares the injection filled with his blood. "This is the only way we can be together forever, remember?" she says softly.

With a nod, he leans down and kissed her gently as a way to distract her while the nurse injected her with his blood. Quinn's face pales even more so when the nurse gently puts a bandage over her wound.

"Are you okay?" he asks worriedly, not liking how pale she had turned just then.

"I just hate injections." she murmurs. Her gaze falls onto the nurse and her eyes widen. "Wait what is she doing?"

Figuring she was talking about the _other_ injection the nurse was preparing, Stefan responds, "That injection…is to kill you." he says heavily. Quinn swallows hard, her stomach suddenly down at her feet.

"I knew I wouldn't be able to kill you myself so I figured this would be the easiest, painless way to do it. It's usually what doctors use on elderly patients that are ready to go." His face was tense, making her see that he didn't like this any more than she did. But what other choice did they have?

"D-Does it kill me right away?" she stutters, slightly panicking.

He shakes his head. "It takes a little time but it will be completely painless, I promise."

Releasing a shaky sigh, she nods. "Okay."

Unable to ignore the rapid pounding her heart was currently doing, he squeezes her hand reassuringly. "Remember, baby, you aren't really going to die. You'll come back. This is not the last time we'll see each other, okay? I wouldn't be doing any of this if I wasn't completely sure of it."

Quinn winces slightly as the nurse pushes the injection into her arm. "It's okay, Quinn. Everything will be alright." he whispers, pulling her closer to his body.

She looks up at him through watery eyes. "You won't leave me, right?" she asks quietly.

He shakes his head, pressing his lips against her forehead. "Never."

Quinn falls asleep shortly after that, whereas Stefan did so somewhere around the early hours of the morning. He was in a deep sleep when he was suddenly woken up by a loud steady beep that rang through his ears. He looks around groggily, glancing around for the source. His gaze falls on the machine Quinn was hooked up to. It takes him only a second to realize that she had had flat lined. Not wanting anyone to be alerted by the noise, he quickly turns off the machine.

He stares back at her sleeping form, trying not to panic over the fact that he could no longer hear her heartbeat. He knows that she isn't really dead but not being able to hear her heartbeat or hear her breathe was probably the worst thing he's ever had to endure.

Unsurprisingly he's unable to go back to sleep. He does what he can to pass the time, mentally reciting the Declaration of Independence, naming all the capitals of the states, anything that would help him keep his mind occupied while he waited for her to wake up. Eventually it got to a point where he thought he might go insane from all the anxiety but thankfully daylight comes and that helps to quell his nerves. It wouldn't be long now.

—

The first sound Quinn hears is very reminiscent of a heartbeat. It's beating rather quickly and it takes her a minute before she realizes it's not her own. Several sounds follow that she identifies as someone breathing, someone walking, someone talking…More voices, more footsteps, more heartbeats, suddenly it feels like she was being bombarded with nothing but noise. It pounded her skull like a jack hammer and her eyes fly open in response, hoping it would make it stop.

The first thing she sees is a pair of striking emerald eyes that were oh so familiar to her. _Stefan. _The name in her head is accompanied with several memories, of him, of them together. She blinks a few times, taking in all of him. Had he always been _this_ beautiful?

"Stefan?" she breaths, her voice sounding different to her own ears. She could hear him swallow, his heart beat, and the faint sound of his keys jingling in his pocket as he made his way over to her.

"Quinn." he sighs, relieved.

She winced slightly, his voice adding to all the other sounds filling her head. "Stefan, there's so much noise…" Even the sound of her own voice was giving her a headache. Her hands automatically go to her head, hoping to quell the noise.

"Quinn, look at me." Stefan whispers, tilting her chin up so that she looked up at him. "Just focus on me, alright? Concentrate, only on me, okay?"

She nods and stares into his green depths. Without realizing, she reaches out to touch him. She cups his face with both her hands, looking at him as if she had never seen him before. She studies him carefully, noticing things she had never noticed before, like the small scar that sliced through the end of his eyebrow or the miniscule freckles that dusted his nose.

"Feel better?" She nods, no longer hearing anything but the sound of his voice.

"It takes some practice but I found that if you focus solely on one thing, everything else kind of drowns itself out. Don't worry, though, I'll help you to control it more." he promises.

Quinn smiles appreciatively and nods, his strong scent filling her nose. It was a mixture of a variety of things. She could smell the fabric softener on his clothes, the shampoo that he used in his hair, his overall scent. Her thumb brushes across his cheek and she smiles shyly. "I know you've always smelled good but now, you smell really mouthwatering." she confesses.

He chuckles. "Along with your hearing and sight, as well as everything else, really, your sense of smell is heightened." he explains.

They stare at each other for the longest time, as if they were discovering each other for the first time. Her breath hitches as he slowly leans into her, his breath warming her face before his lips find hers. His lips are warm and tasted like spearmint. She knows she has kissed him many times before, but this kiss was completely different from any kiss they'd ever shared.

Her hand move to the back of his neck, as did his, their kiss deepening as a result. Their tongues dance in her mouth, making Quinn's body warm with need. His hands move to her hips, holding to her tightly as lips moved together, the sheer force of which is enough to bruise an ordinary human. But since neither one of them was human, neither one really noticed. Eventually Stefan decides to end the kiss, leaving them both panting breathlessly.

Her cheeks redden ever so slightly. "Wow."

Licking his lips, Stefan gets up off her bed. "Judging by the kiss alone, I think it's time you fed." he says, walking over to the table and opening up his duffel bag. She looks on curiously, watching as he pulls out a blood bag. The scent radiating from it is intriguing to her, making her throat feel unusually tight and dry. Stefan walks back over to her and rips off the top of the bag before handing it to her. "Bon appetit."

She looks at it hesitantly. "It's ok, you'll like it." he says confidently, taking a seat back at the edge of her bed.

She takes a deep breath before pressing the bag to her lips and taking a sip. The liquid's cold and incredibly sweet. It didn't taste or smell like the coppery scent she once associated blood with. It was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted, so foreign, and yet so familiar at the same time. Before she even realizes it, the entire bag is empty and she's sucking up nothing but air.

"Someone was thirsty." he teases lightheartedly. "I take it it was good?"

She licks her lips and nods, eager for more. "_Really_ good. Can I have another one?"

Stefan fetches another blood bag from his duffel before handing it over to her. She practically ripped into the plastic and sucks down its contents within seconds.

As she drinks, Stefan can't help but flash back to the memory of when he first tasted blood. It had been his own father's blood. He had fed on his own dying father, unable to resist the temptation of his blood. That had been the beginning of his downfall. He would be damned if he let that happen to Quinn. He had confidence that she wouldn't though for she was strong willed.

"I think that's enough for now." he begins, taking back the now empty blood bag. "Wouldn't want you to become an addict."

She nods understandingly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "So now what? Can we go home now?"

He looks at her and smiles. There she is, his wife, a newly turned vampire, and she was looking up at him expectantly with those bright eyes of her like always. They had overcome their biggest obstacle and now they no longer had to worry about losing each other. Ever.

"What? Oh yeah, of course." he remarks, realizing she was waiting for an answer. "I just need to compel your doctors, make something up."

Worried, she asks, "So what are you going to tell them?" She slips out of bed, rather gracefully, and smoothes out her hospital gown. "How would they believe that I made a complete recovery overnight?"

"I'll compel them, say that you're in remission and that they allowed you to leave." he replies easily.

"What about everyone else?" she questions, walking around to retrieve her normal clothes. "What about my father? You think he'll believe that I went into remission?"

He nods. "And if your he wants to hear it from a doctor, I'll just have him talk to the doctor that I compelled."

Quinn turns away from her clothes and glances at him. "Do you think that I should just tell my father the truth?"

Stefan stops his movements and hesitates. "I can't say. My father wasn't exactly overjoyed when he found out I was in love with a vampire or that I was in transition to become one."

"That was back in 1864." she reminds gently. "And your father was brought up to hate vampires. Maybe my dad will be understanding…"

"The choice is yours, Quinn." he says earnestly. "If you want to tell him, I'll support you."

Pursing her lips, she asks, "What would _you_ do?"

"Honestly?" he sighs. She nods. "I wouldn't tell him. I find that the more people who know about vampires, the more they risk in getting hurt."

Though her expression falters, she nods understandingly. "But that's just me." he tells her, touching her arm. "You do whatever _you_ feel is right, okay?"

She turns her head into his and pecks his cheek. "Will do."

Stefan pulls away and gestures to the door. "You change and I'll be right back. Then we can get going."

Excited by the prospect of never having to stay in a hospital again, Quinn beams. When Stefan leaves the room, she changes out of her hospital gown and throws it into the trashcan by the bed.

Stefan returns moments later just as she was in the process of gathering up all her things. "Everything's taken care of." he announces. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah, but one thing." She gestures outside to the window. What am I supposed to do about that? I don't have a daylight ring."

Stefan crosses the room and lifts up her left hand, chuckling. "You're wearing one already." Taking in her furrowed brow, he explains. "When I got your wedding ring in Chicago because I know of this witch there. An old acquaintance of mine. It took some persuading, but eventually she agreed to make it into a daylight ring for me."

She looks up at him adoringly before kissing him on the lips softly. "You are such a good husband."

—

"So how do you feel? What's it like?" Santana demands, waving her hand annoyingly back in forth in front of Quinn's face.

It's been a few days since Quinn had completed her transition and she finally felt like she would be okay enough to have company over. Admittedly she had felt a little overwhelmed by Santana's scent when the Latina first stopped by but the feeling quickly pasted and they were now sitting on the couch, hanging out as if nothing had changed.

"It's different." she replies, grabbing the Latina's wrist mid wave and shooting her a warning look. "Everything is so much more clearer, I can smell and hear _everything. _It's still a little overwhelming but Stefan's helping me through it."

"Well you still look like you." Santana comments, still studying her face. "Do you still feel like you?"

Quinn nods, thankful. "Yeah. I initially thought that when I became a vampire that I would become a different person - that was one of the reasons why I delayed becoming a vampire for so long. I didn't want to change into a different person, especially one I hated - but I didn't. Aside from the fact that I can basically sense everything and now have a hunger for blood. I don't feel any different. I still feel like me."

"But you're okay with how everything turned out, right?" Santana checks. "No regrets?"

Quinn shakes her head confidently. "Nope. None whatsoever. I never have to worry about getting sick again and I don't ever have to be apart from Stefan or any of you guys."

Santana smiles genuinely. "I'm glad, Q. Cause, frankly, I don't know what I would've done if I had lost you for good." she pauses briefly before asking, "So have you fucked up and killed someone yet?"

"No, thank goodness." she sighs, relieved. "Stefan says I'm pretty in control for a new vampire. The hardest part was when we were leaving the hospital and I could just smell all the blood and all the people around. But all he had to do was squeeze my hand and it was like the hunger melted away."

"So I take it you won't accidentally kill Rachel any time soon?" Santana sighs, disappointed.

Rolling her eyes, Quinn shakes her head. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"It's no biggie." Santana shrugs, waving it off. "So when are you coming back to school?"

"Hopefully tomorrow." she replies. "I think I can handle it, I just have to convince Stefan a little more. He thinks it's too soon."

"Well he better change his mind soon because we all miss you in glee. We have regionals to prepare for, if you haven't already forgotten and since you've been gone, we're down to eleven members which-"

"Which isn't enough to compete for regionals." Quinn finishes, nodding. "Yeah I remember."

"Though I can understand why Stefan isn't eager to let return to school. I mean with you two home _all alone _all the time, you guys have probably come up with more _pleasant_ ways to pass the time…" Santana begins, wigging her eyebrows suggestively. "If you get my drift."

"We haven't done anything like that, Santana." she says, instantly shooting down that theory.

Santana stares at her, mouth agape. "Are you kidding me?"

"You better shut your mouth otherwise a fly might buzz into it." she advises teasingly.

"Jesus Christ, Q! You've been married how long and you still have yet to take a ride on that gorgeous hunk you're married to?"

"We've been a little preoccupied trying to keep me from attacking people, Santana." she explains, frowning unhappily.

Santana folds her arms across her chest, unconvinced. "What about your wedding night? You weren't a vamp then!"

"I didn't want the first time Stefan and I made love to be while I was a weak, cancerous human. I mean, how romantic does that sound? Making love to a sick person?"

Santana grimaces. "You're right, that is pretty disgusting, but damn Q! Now I owe Puck twenty bucks." she whines.

"Serves you right for making a bet in the first place." she shrugs, unbothered.

"Whatever. I'll just steal it from Berry or Finnessa when they aren't looking. But seriously, when the hell are you going to use your V-card?"

"When the time is right." she replies simply.

Santana shakes her head at her. "How the hell you could go this long without sex is beyond me…."

"The world does not revolve around sex, Santana." she sighs tiredly, fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

Santana scoffs. "Says the girl who hasn't done it yet. Once you have, you'll be singing a completely different tune, trust me." she smirks, pushing herself off the couch.

Quinn does the same and followed the Latina to the front door. "Whatever you say, Santana."

Santana chuckles and glances over her shoulder before she walked out the door. "I'll see you later, Q. And don't be afraid to pounce on that husband of yours in the meantime." she winks.

Quinn just waves her off and waits for her leave before closing the door behind her.

As soon as the Latina was gone, Quinn heads upstairs to their bedroom where Stefan had been holed up since Santana arrived. She opens the door to find her husband doing pull ups in the bathroom doorway. The very sight of his muscles bulging like that from under his wife beater was enough to make her seriously consider Santana's advice to just pounce on him.

"Hey you." Stefan greets, noticing her standing there. "Satan finally gone?" he figures, jumping down.

She nods. "Yeah, she just left."

He walks over to her and kisses her softly. "So now what do you want to do?" he wonders. He notices her gaze on his bicep where his tattoo is and frowns. "Quinn?"

Her eyes have a mischievous sparkle to them when she lifts her gaze. "I'm thinking that I want to get a tattoo."

—

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Stefan asks for the hundredth time, walking into the only tattoo parlor in Lima with a very exuberant Quinn. She was practically bouncing with excitement.

"Yes, Stefan." she sighs dramatically, walking up to the counter with him. "You can stop asking me that, you know. I'm not going to change my mind."

"Can I help you two?" asks the heavily tattooed man walking up to them.

"Yes, we would like to get some tattoos." Stefan answers.

"_We?_"Quinn repeats, her eyebrow arched.

Stefan nods. "I've been meaning to get another one for awhile now."

The guy looks them both up and down, then eyes them suspiciously. "How old are you kids?" "We're both eighteen." Stefan replies, nodding with Quinn.

"Okay then. Do you have something in mind for your tattoos?" the man asks, looking to them both expectantly, "Cause I'll need to draw them up."

"I'd like a small rose on my left hip. I want it to look similar to his," Quinn begins, abruptly lifting up Stefan's sleeve and pointing to his tattoo. "But a little different and in color and much smaller."

The man nods understandingly. "Okay, would you like to go first?" he asks her. She nods and walks around the counter to follow him.

The man stops then looks to Stefan. "Would you like to get yours done while I work on hers or would you rather wait until I'm done?"

"I would like to get mine done as you do hers, if that's alright." Stefan responds.

"Okay, let me get my co-worker, excuse me."

Once he was out of sight, Quinn glances back at Stefan curiously. "So what are you getting?"

Stefan smiles to himself. "You'll find out soon enough" he teases.

"Please?" she pouts, looking up at him through her eyelashes.

Stefan pecks her lips and shakes his head. "Sorry. You'll just have to wait and see."

Quinn waits until they're out of the tattoo parlor before turning to Stefan expectantly. "Okay show me your tattoo." She had tried to get a glimpse of it while she was getting hers done, but was unable to.

Stefan chuckles at her eagerness and easily rips the bandage off his inner right forearm without so much as a wince. They technically didn't need it anyways considering how fast their skin healed. Quinn takes his arm and looks at the script. He had her name written in elegant script on his arm and under it in slightly smaller script, it read, _My love. My soul. My angel. _

"Surprise." he says softly, mildly chuckling. "Do you like it?"

She nods, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "It's beautiful. I love it, Stefan." she says, throwing her arms around him in a hug.

—

Quinn grumbles in annoyance at the sound of their alarm clock echoing in her ears early the next morning. She slams her fist over the darn thing to hit snooze but instead accidentally breaks it. She rolls onto her other side with a small huff and tries to snuggle up to Stefan but all she was getting was empty air. When she opens her eyes she realizes that Stefan was nowhere to be seen. Frowning at this, she rolls onto her back and props herself up onto her shoulders, looking around the room sleepily. _Where did he go? _

Just as she ponders this, the bathroom door opens and Stefan emerges from it, his ridiculously chiseled body glistening with water. The sight of him in nothing but a white towel that hung very low on his hips is more than enough to wake her up.

Noticing that she was awake, he smiles brightly at her. "Morning, beautiful." he greets.

"Morning." she greets back, doing her best to keep her gaze on his face and not on his practically nude body.

"Is something wrong?" Realizing he was staring at her curiously, she quickly shakes her head. "No. Of course not."

He laughs slightly, not entirely convinced. "Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"No reason." she murmurs, her cheeks reddening.

He shakes his head and turns around, giving her a great view of his muscular back as he fished through their drawers. "You better get up then. You don't want to be late for school."

Right. School. She tosses the covers aside at the reminder, though she seriously considers abandoning the whole idea of school today just so she could stay in bed all day with Stefan.

—

When Mr. Schuester walks into the choir room he's pleasantly surprised to see that everyone was already patiently waiting in their seats. "Wow guys you're all on time for once." he brings up, setting his bag on the piano.

"Only cause Rachel made us." Puck grumbles from the back. "And she still hasn't told us why."

"It's a surprise which should be coming at any minute." Rachel responds, her voice growing louder which each word.

Quinn, who had been waiting patiently outside, takes this as her cue and walks into the choir room, eliciting a room full of gasps. "Hey, guys!"

Everyone exclaims their happiness and Brittany all but tackles her in the world's tightest hug when she sees her.

"Hey be careful with her Britt, she's fragile cargo." Puck advises from his seat, causing Brittany to immediately let go of Quinn.

"It's okay, Britt. I'm fine." she assures the other blonde.

"We're so glad to have you back, Quinn. " Mr. Schuester says excitedly, giving her a hug. "You look great, Quinn."

Mercedes nods her head in agreement. "Yeah, _Mrs. Salvatore_, you look amazing, you don't even look sick."

"Well, I have good news about that." she brings up casually with a knowing smile. She turns to the group, barely able to contain her excitement. "According to my doctors I'm actually in remission." Mostly everyone erupted into cheers except for a few of the guys who had confused looks on their faces.

"What's remission?" Puck finally asks, brow furrowed.

"It's basically a temporary end to the medical signs and symptoms of an incurable disease. In Quinn's case, it's Leukemia." Rachel answers promptly.

"That's amazing!" Finn exclaims, getting up from his seat to give Quinn a hug, the rest of the club shortly following suit.

"Alright everyone, back in your seats, it's time to start." Mr. Schuester says loudly after a few minutes, trying to calm down his hyped up kids.

"Hold up, Mr. Schue, some of us have presents for Quinn." Santana announces with a devious smirk.

Brittany claps her hands excitedly. "Yay, presents!"

Mr. Schuester sighs and relents, "Okay, go ahead. But let's make it quick shall we? We have a lot to do today."

"These gifts are in honor of your recent wedding and _miraculous_ recovery, Q." Santana says, she and Brittany handing over two large pink bags to Quinn.

"Wow, thank you." Quinn says, surprised, taking the bags from them. She can't help but look at them skeptically, considering they were from Brittany and Santana.

"Well open them girl!" Mercedes urges. "Whatcha get?"

Quinn reluctantly takes the tissue paper out of the first bag and peeks inside. Mortified, she quickly closes the bag, her face turning bright red. Santana snickers in response.

"Well what did you get?" Mercedes asks impatiently.

"It's just some _lingerie._" Santana replies casually as Quinn opens the other bag only to find that it was just filled with more expensive looking lingerie.

"Some? That's _a lot _of lingerie." Quinn murmurs, keeping her voice low. "What did you and Brittany do? Rob Victoria's Secret?"

"Maybe." Santana shrugs noncommittally. "But we better be getting a big ass thank you gift once you and Stefan finally do it."

"Quinn you should totally model some pieces, so we can give our opinions on whether or not Stefan would like them." Puck suggests through a cough, causing the guys to nod their head in agreement, especially Artie.

"Mr. Schue, can you just get on with the lesson?" she pleads, clearly still embarrassed, her cheeks still flaming red.

Mr. Schuester nods his head, just as eager as she was to get on with the class. "Couldn't agree more Quinn. Now-"

"Hold up, Mr. Schue, looks like Berry also has a gift for Quinn." Santana says loudly, calling out Rachel who was discreetly trying to put the gift she had purchased back in her bag.

"It's not really a gift I think Quinn should open now." Rachel mumbles, her face faintly tinged pink. Puck, who's sitting behind her, reaches out and snatches the gift out of her hands. "Head's up!" he exclaims before throwing it into Santana's awaiting arms.

"Let's see what Rachel got Quinn." she snickers, ripping into the wrapping paper despite Quinn and Rachel's protests.

Santana makes a face when she sees what it is. "Ugh, it's a book, you're so lame, Berry." she scoffs, rolling her eyes. She turns the book around and after reading the title, quickly bursts into laughter before deciding to read it aloud to everyone. "_101 Ways to Satisfy Your Husband: A Guide to Everything There Is About Sex and The Dirty Things To Do Beforehand._"

Rachel buries her face in her hands, completely mortified, while Quinn just sinks lower in her chair, just as embarrassed, if not more so.

"I underestimated you Berry." Santana says, rifling through the book. "Comes with diagrams and everything." She nods, impressed.

"Let me see that shit!" Puck exclaims, walking over to the Latina and peering over her shoulder. "Holy hell, I've never even heard of half these moves, and that's coming from me"

About every guy clamors around Santana to take a peek at the book at Puck's admission.

"Alright guys, enough!" Mr. Schuester yells over the commotion. "Santana put the book away and everyone else take their seats. Now."

Everyone reluctantly does so and Santana hands the book to Quinn, who quickly stuffed it in her bag. "I'm so sorry, Quinn." Rachel apologizes to her, a few seats over. "It sounded like a good gift at the time."

Quinn just shakes her head, really wishing she had chosen to stay home after all.


	14. There's Always A First For Everything

Quinn's at her locker putting away her things for the day when Stefan approaches her. "Hey you." he greets, leaning down and kissing her lips. "How was your first day back?"

"It went well." she nods, slowly pulling away. "Surprisingly so. I mean I didn't have the urge to attack anyone at all today." she says smiling proudly.

"That's good." Stefan leans against the lockers. "I'm glad that this transition isn't hard for you."

"Me too." she agrees, closing her locker and turning to him. She steps forward and closes the gap between them (and their lips). Her hands come up to his shoulders while his slide down to her hips, each holding onto the other firmly while they kiss deeply. They are so caught up in each other that they don't even realize the new presence until someone interrupts by saying, "Hey you two quit sucking face and get a room already. We shouldn't be forced to watch your lame attempts at making out."

Quickly Stefan and Quinn break apart, both their faces flushing as they tried to recompose themselves.

"Hey guys." Stefan greets, wiping Quinn's lip gloss off his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I thought you guys liked to suck blood, not each other's faces." Brittany comments with a slight frown. Both Stefan and Quinn's eyes widen at the remark. "Wait, what?"

Santana sighs heavily. "You two can lower your eyebrows. It's cool. Brittany knows."

"Santana, you promised that you weren't going to tell _anyone._" Stefan reminds, shooting her a pointed look.

Santana rolls her eyes and scoffs. "You know for a vampire, you aren't very observant. I had my fingers crossed behind my back the entire time we had our little convo. Besides, Brittany's my bestie, I tell her _everything_."

"I won't tell anyone about you two." Brittany promises earnestly, lifting up her right hand. "Not even Lord Tubbington."

Santana gaze flickers to them. "And you know she means business if she isn't willing to confide in Lord Tubbington."

Brittany nods. "That's right."

Quinn and Stefan exchange a concerned look. Noticing this, Santana doesn't hesitate in rolling her eyes again. "Oh come on, it's not that big a deal. Britt's not going to tell anyone about you two. I'll make sure of it."

Sighing heavily, Stefan nods, "Fine, but you can't tell anyone else, understood?"

"Take a chill pill why don't you Salvatore?" Santana retorts before turning to Quinn and taking her arm. "Come on you, we have rehearsal remember?"

"Right." She glances back at Stefan before Santana and Brittany had the chance to drag her away to the choir room. "I'll call you when I'm done?"

Stefan nods, waving them off. "Have fun."

"Bye Stefan." Santana and Brittany say in unison with Quinn, linking arms with each other before walking away.

When it's just the three of them, Santana looks to Quinn expectantly. "So what happened to our gifts that we gave you?" she asks, noticing didn't have them on her.

"I dropped them off at home during lunch." she replies, cheeks flushing at the reminder. "There was no way I wanted Stefan to see them."

"And why not?" Santana asks skeptically. "It's not like we gave you granny panties. We gave you hot, sexy, lacy lingerie that screams _Fuck me hard._"

Blushing furiously, Quinn unlinks their arms and leads the way into the choir room. "Can we talk about something else, please?"

"Okay. How about the fact that Coach Sylvester is a complete psycho?" Santana brings up, climbing up the elevated seating area to sit in the second row next to Brittany.

"We've been talking about that since freshman year." Quinn laughs, taking a seat in front of them, "But what has she done this time?"

"She's been riding our ass like crazy lately." Santana exhales deeply. "I mean just the other day we did this elaborate Katy Perry routine with fireworks, fire jugglers, BMX bikers - the works -and she totally put the blame on us for her being incredibly bored with it. We can't win with her!"

"She made Santana slap me with a chicken cutlet." Brittany mumbles, pouting.

"The problem is that Sue keeps trying to make a bigger and bigger spectacle in your guys' routines." Quinn explains, turning around in her seat. "No matter how hard you guys try, you won't be able to make a routine work unless _she_ finds a way to make it interesting for herself. She has to find a way to top herself." She rolls her eyes briefly.

Santana sighs in frustration. "Dammit Q, why the hell did you have to quit? We seriously need you. I mean, she now wants to fire Britt out of a cannon. A cannon!" Brittany's face pales a little at the word _cannon_.

"That can't even be legal." Rachel interjects suddenly, turning around in her seat to join their conversation.

Santana shrugs. "I wouldn't be surprised. Not that the legality of it all would stop her. The lady's insane."

"We'll talk to Mr. Schue after class." Quinn promises, reaching over and squeezing Brittany's hand. "She won't get away with this."

"Oh, my god. Artie." comes Tina's voice loudly, prompting everyone to stop their conversations and turn their heads to the door where a slushie covered Artie was currently wheeling himself through. "It was awful." he utters, his teeth chattering from the chill of the slushie.

"That's it." Finn abruptly bolts out of his seat. "This ends here and now."

Puck does the same, as do Mike and Sam. "We're gonna go all Thunderdome on those guys!"

Santana had previously informed Quinn that the rivalry between the glee club and the football team had reached a boiling point as of late - ever since the football team had made it into the Championship game - and by the looks of the glee guys' infuriated expressions, it wasn't about to die down anytime soon.

But before the glee guys can storm out, the football team trudges through the choir room door, stopping the guys in their tracks.

"So this is what the ladies' lounge looks like on the inside." one of them comments snidely.

"This is the choir room. Now put up your fists because you and I are gonna do some dancing." Sam glares.

"Coach Beiste told us to come here." Karofsky explains, moving to the front of the group. He looks around. "Where is she?"

"Everyone have a seat." Coach Beiste announces, entering the room along with Mr. Schuester.

"You too guys." Mr. Schuester nods, gesturing to Finn and other glee guys.

Quinn shares a confused look with the other girls. Whatever it is Mr. Schuester had planned with Coach Beiste couldn't possibly be good.

—

Quinn can't help but release a small sigh of relief when Mr. Schuester finally dismisses them for the day. She walks by herself toward the school parking lot, being one of the first ones to leave, and immediately catches sight of Stefan waiting patiently in his Impala.

"How did rehearsal go?" he asks curiously after she greets him with a kiss.

"Don't get me started." she sighs, sliding her seatbelt across her chest. She reluctantly explains. "Coach Beiste and Mr. Schuester decided that the football team should join glee club for the week, to help us get along better because apparently things have gotten really out of hand with the football guys and the glee guys. Needless to say, it didn't go over well with anyone. Rachel and Puck nearly started a riot."

"Well that's unfortunate. I'm sorry." he offers.

"It's fine." she assures, wanting to get off topic. "Let's talk about something else. How was _your_ day?" she asks brightly, turning to him expectantly.

"Boring. You know, the usual." he shrugs. "Except for when I was with you, of course." he adds after noticing the look she was giving him.

She chuckles and leans across to kiss his cheek. "You know exactly what a girl wants to hear."

—

"Stefan! Stop!" Quinn pleads, gasping breathlessly as Stefan proceeds to tickle her sides mercilessly.

Stefan laughs above her, his body straddling hers. "It's your own fault for mentioning that you are extremely ticklish!"

They were at home now and Quinn's currently being pinned down by Stefan on the couch. Despite her newfound vampire strength, he still has over a century worth's strength on her. "I still have to do my homework, Stefan." she reminds, squirming and struggling beneath his grasp.

"Don't _you_ have homework to do?"

"I finished it while you were at rehearsal." he smirks.

"Stefan." she whines. "If you care about my education you'll let me go!" He pretends to ponder this for a moment before shaking his head and continuing on with his torture of her.

"You jerk!"

"Come on, you know you like this." he laughs, tickling her underarms.

"What good is being a vampire if you can't even push away your own husband?" she grumbles, still struggling beneath him.

Stefan sighs heavily and retracts his hands in surrender. "You're no fun." he frowns, playfully poking her stomach. Rolling her eyes, she grabs him by the hem of his shirt and pulls him back down for a passionate kiss.

"See you can't even stay mad at me for long." he smirks, nipping at her bottom lip.

She abruptly flips them over, catching him off guard, and proceeds to straddle him. "You're right. You're just _way _too irresistible to stay mad at."

He smiles knowingly and rests his hands on her hips. "Tell me something I don't know."

Quinn rolls her eyes again and kisses him deeply. It doesn't take long for things to quickly escalade. These days it was beginning to become increasingly difficult to keep their hands to themselves. Stefan all but rips her cardigan off her, throwing it across the room while Quinn pushes herself against his arousal, eliciting a low growl from him. She smiles triumphantly into their kiss and begins seductively scratching her nails up and down his chest as Stefan sucks and nibbles on her bottom lip, knowing how it drives him crazy.

She pushes her hips against his while her hands every so subtly start their descent down his torso before stopping at the waistband of his jeans. His body shudders in response and his kisses became more powerful, more desperate. Though admittedly she was getting rather worked up herself, she reminds herself of her goal and pries her lips from his.

She smiles deviously as she climbs off his body, leaving him there, panting and wanting, "It's all about the teasing and _not_ about the pleasing." she tells him, plucking her cardigan from off the floor and reveling in his dumfounded expression. "That's what you get for tickling me, honey." she explains with an innocent shrug before walking away.

Stefan watches as she walks away, still in shock that she would do such a thing to him, then eventually forces himself to get up so he can take a long, cold shower.

—

"So glee club is going to do the halftime show at the big game." Quinn informs him a few days later, once she returns home from rehearsal (Santana and Brittany had dropped her off). She shrugs off her cardigan and plops down on the bed, relaxing into their comforter. It had been a long day at zombie camp.

"That's great. What song are you guys going to perform?" Stefan wonders from the bathroom, having just finished taking a shower.

"A mash-up of _Thriller_ and _Heads Will Roll _by the Yeah Yeah Yeah's." she replies, kicking off her shoes and standing back up before working to take off her dress.

"That sounds like it will be a lot of fun, can't wait to see you dressed like a zombie." Stefan says with a laugh, walking back into their bedroom. In that same moment Quinn unzips her dress and proceeds to pull it down her body. He isn't sure if this is just another ploy of hers to mercilessly tease him but even if it is, he can't even bring himself to care. The view she was giving him was fantastic.

Nice underwear." he comments casually, causing her to jump, clearly oblivious to the fact that he had been watching her.

"Oh my God!" Quinn whips around so fast that she nearly falls thanks to her dress being tangled around her feet. She quickly steps out of her dress and slips on her cheer shorts and one of _his _shirts at vampire speed, her cheeks still blushing furiously.

So it wasn't a ploy just pure luck that he had walked in on her at the perfect moment. He can't help but chuckle at how adorably embarrassed she clearly was. "I mean, not that I'm complaining, but have you always worn red lace panties? You don't seem like the type…"

"They were a gift from Santana and Brittany." she mumbles, still clearly embarrassed.

He nods understandingly. "Ah. So I take it those are what were in those pink bags you got the other day? The ones that you so desperately tried to hide from me?"

Her cheeks still glowing red, she nods, before her gaze snaps to meet his. "Wait, how did you know about that? I hid them before you even had a chance to see them!"

"Yeah, well, you didn't really hide them very well." he scoffs, folding his arms across his chest. "But I assure you I didn't look inside the bags, and now I'm really glad that I didn't, cause I can't wait to see what other surprises you end up wearing next." he says with a playful glint in his eyes.

"Well if you're good, maybe you'll get to see sooner than you think." she says with a wink before walking past him and heading downstairs.

—

The next day at rehearsal - or Zombie camp, as it was now called - everyone spent a majority of time practicing putting makeup on each other to make themselves look like real zombies. Quinn was currently helping Brittany with her makeup while Santana did her own.

"So Q, have you put that lingerie we got you to good use?" Santana brings up curiously, nudging her suggestively.

Rolling her eyes, Quinn sighs. "No, Santana. Stefan and I haven't done anything yet."

"Seriously?" Santana scoffs. "What is a matter with you? Why the hell not?"

"When the moment is right then it will happen." she replies shrugging in her defense. "Although I have been kind of teasing Stefan lately." she admits slyly.

Santana raised her eyebrow in surprise and tears her gaze away from the mirror she had been checking herself out in "Really?"

Quinn nods, doing her best to keep her cheeks from reddening. "At first I had only done it to get back at him for tickling me but I can't help it. I like having this power over him, you know? Driving him insane is kind of fun."

Santana nods her approval. "So what exactly have you guys done? Please tell me you've gone past first base already."

"I've been wearing some of that lingerie you've bought me more often and have just let Stefan catch of peek of it while I'm changing or something. Although yesterday I did it unintentionally. Anyways I know he likes it because when we make out, I can feel _him_ more now and it gets really intense. I think we're really close to taking that next big step in our relationship."

"So the hormones are finally kicking in." Santana chuckles. "It's about damn time. So I take it you've been reading that book Berry got you."

Her eyebrow quirks, surprised. "How did you know?"

"Please." Santana turns and shoots her a knowing look ."You would not be teasing your man in the first place if you didn't have some outside help and since you haven't asked me or Britt for advice, I figured you were getting your moves from that book."

Quinn scoffs indignantly. "I am perfectly capable of pleasing my husband without the help of some stupid book, Santana.

Santana sighs and clasps Quinn on the shoulder. "Hate to break it to ya honey, but you have no game whatsoever just like Finnessa over there." she says, pointing over to Finn, who was currently wearing his gassy baby expression.

—

Walking hand in hand, Stefan and Quinn make their way across the cafeteria to their usual table. "Hey guys." Quinn greets, going to take a seat across from Mercedes. Noticing the solemn expressions on everyone's faces, she frowns. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" she inquires, looking to them for answers.

Rachel sighs heavily, idly stabbing her salad with her fork. "We just found out that all the jocks quit the football team, with the exception of the glee guys, so it looks like we're going to have to forfeit the game."

Mercedes nods, sounding just as glum. "Yeah, you can't play football with five guys and one of them is in a wheelchair."

"Coach Beiste put a sign-up sheet for people to join but so far no one's interested. I think they'll take anyone at this point." Rachel continues.

"Well, the good news is that you actually only need four more guys." Stefan speaks up, prompting the others to look at him. High school regulations actually let you play a couple guys short if you want to" he explains.

Quinn could see the wheels turning in Rachel's head and knew that never amounted to anything good.

Mercedes notices this as well. "Rachel? I don't like how big your eyes got just now."

Rachel smiles excitedly. "I have an idea."

"Well that's never good." says a voice cutting Rachel off. They all look up to see that it was just Brittany and Santana.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asks coldly, knowing that the two cheerleaders had chosen the cheerios regionals competition over doing the halftime show..

"Uh, this is the cafeteria, Berry." Santana scoffs at the attitude she's being given. "People go here during lunchtime to eat." She takes the open seat next to Quinn.

"I just meant that shouldn't you be sitting with the other Cheerios now that you've quit glee?" Rachel sighs, eyes narrowed questioningly.

Santana snorts. "Yeah, right. I hate those bitches. Believe it or not, they're actually more annoying than _you_. And besides, just cause we quit glee doesn't mean we can't sit with you guys."

"Did you guys hear about the football team quitting?" Tina asks.

Santana nods, popping open her bottle of vitamin water. "Yeah, it sucks. But I'm just glad that Britt and I didn't choose glee over the Cheerios, cause then we would've lost our places on the team for nothing."

"Well it's your lost, cause now you won't be able to accompany us at regionals this year." Rachel says snidely.

Santana shrugs and remarks, "Whatever, if you do as well as we did last year, it won't be a big deal. Besides I would rather win with the Cheerios again than place third at regionals with glee again."

Rachel huffs in frustration sharply turns away from her. "Anyways, like I was saying, I have an idea."

Everyone looks at her expectantly. "Which is?"

"Us glee girls join the football team." Rachel answers promptly.

Santana bursts into laugher. "Oh god, good one Berry!" she cackles.

Rachel decidedly ignores her and focuses on the others. "So what do you guys think?"

"As much I hate so say this, I think it's the only chance we have of staying in the game." Mercedes answers to which Tina agrees. "I'm in."

Biting her lip unsurely, Quinn glances at Stefan who seemed to like the idea as much as she did. He meets her gaze and shakes his head firmly. "I am not letting you join the team."

"Believe me, I'm not keen on this plan either, but what other choice do we have?" she whispers, careful not to let the others hear them.

"If you think that I'm just going to let you play a game where you get tackled by a two-hundred pound linebacker then you got another thing coming to you. You'll get hurt."

Quinn looks at him skeptically. "I'm a vampire, remember?" she reminds, brow quirked.

Regardless, Stefan says firmly, "No way in hell you are playing football."

An idea suddenly comes to her right in that moment. "Wait, Stefan, you've played football before, right?"

Unsurprisingly the second Stefan makes it known that he can play football, Coach Beiste all but shoves Titans gear into his arms.

—

Stefan walks out onto the field to the sound of a boisterous crowd eagerly awaiting kickoff. He exchanges high-fives with Finn and Puck when he reaches them but as soon as he does, her promptly turns around to the stands, scanning the area for Quinn.

"Looking for me?"

He turns around, surprised to see Quinn standing before him, dressed in McKinley colors.

"Hey, you." he greets, leaning down and kissing her softly. He gestures to his uniform. "How do I look?"

"Incredibly sexy." Quinn says honestly, taking in his tight white football pants, and biting her lip. Silently willing away the less than appropriate thoughts that were filling her mind, she lifts her gaze and focuses on him. "Are you nervous?"

Stefan shrugs, shaking his head. "Not really. I think I'll be okay."

"I bet in all your years, this is probably a first, playing a football game with girls on you team." she brings up, chuckling as the glee girls come into view.

Stefan sees this and laughs as well. "Well there's always a first for everything." he nods, amused.

"Hey, Stefan!"

Quinn and Stefan both turn around to see that Finn was beckoning Stefan to join the team huddle. "I guess I better go." Stefan sighs, turning back around to look at her.

She nods understandingly. "Unfortunately, I better go too."

His brow furrows, confused "What do you mean?"

Quinn smiles. "I figured I'd try and persuade two certain Cheerios to come back to the game. After all, what's a football game without cheerleaders?" she questions, brow arched. She pushes herself up onto her toes and kisses his lips. "Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can, promise."

"Love you." he nods.

"I love you too and good luck." she whispers, quickly kissing him once again before leaving. Stefan throws on his helmet and jogs over to where the rest of the team was waiting.

—

Quinn returned with Santana and Brittany in tow just as the first half ended, in time to get ready for the halftime performance. She was pleased to learn from the guys that the team actually stood a good chance at winning the game.

Stefan took to the sidelines during the halftime show and cheered on Quinn and the rest of the glee club, as well as the football team, as they performed. He smiled brightly at the sight of Quinn performing her heart out. Their eyes locked briefly and she blew him a kiss, which he then caught, causing them both to smile. He couldn't take his eyes off of her after that, in part because she was the sexiest zombie he'd ever seen.

Since the football team had done the halftime show with the glee club, they were allowed to play the second half of the game. And despite Finn's protests, Stefan sat out so that nobody from the original team would have to sit out. This game was much more important to them than it was to him. He didn't mind sitting out though for he spent the rest of the game with Quinn, and the other glee girls, cheering the team on the sidelines. Although he did began to mind it just a little whenever Santana opened her mouth to insult him between plays.

"Hey, Salvatore." she starts, leaning in close to him so he could hear her over the crowd, "You smell like death. You seriously need a shower."

Stefan smirks and without taking his eyes off the game, responds, "Funny, I was just thinking the same thing about you." Santana arches her eyebrow in surprise and Quinn immediately situates herself in between them just to ensure that Santana didn't abruptly go all Lima Heights on him.

When McKinley wins the game, the stands erupt in thunderous applause, screaming and cheering for the football team that has never made it this far in its school history. The crowd was so loud that Quinn didn't understand how her friends could stand it - she was a vampire and the screaming that was going on was likely to make _her_ go deaf. She looks around for Stefan and finds him celebrating with Rachel, who was jumping up and down like a maniac, shaking Stefan like crazy, screaming, "WE WON! WE WON!" to him as if he didn't already know.

Quinn can't help but laugh at the sight as she walks over to them, effectively yanking Stefan out of Rachel's grasp. She always had a tendency to be overzealous whenever they succeeded at something.

"You were amazing during the halftime show." he says to her over the boisterous crowd that surrounded them.

"Thank you." she says back. She was just about to say he was amazing during the game but realizes she had missed out on seeing him play, having been busy trying to convince Santana and Brittany to ditch Sue. Her smile disappears at this realization. Stefan notices this "What's wrong?"

"I just wish I could've seen you play." she sighs dejectedly.

"Don't worry about it." Stefan assures, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and leading her away from crowd. "I'm sure someone filmed it or something."

"This was a big moment for you and I missed it."

He turns toward her and leans down, touching his forehead to hers and forcing her to meet his gaze. "It's just a game, Quinn. It's not a big deal to me. You, however, are."

Her smile slowly reappears as he cups her face and captures her lips with his. Stefan slowly pulled away, savoring the taste of her on his lips before chuckling, "You know, this is the first time I've ever kissed a zombie."

"Well this night is just a bunch of firsts, isn't it?" she giggles, wiping her lipstick off his lips. He grins and leans down for another kiss, only to be pulled away from her. Unsurprisingly, by Santana.

"Hey you two, party at Britt's!" she exclaims, beckoning them to follow. "Are you coming or what?" She places her hands on her hips, awaiting a response.

Stefan glances back at Quinn expectantly. "What do you say? It's your call."

She looks at him with pursed lips before glancing back at Santana, shaking her head. "Actually, I think we're going to pass on the invitation, but thanks anyways, Santana."

Santana rolls her eyes, not exactly affected by the loss. "Whatever, losers. Have fun going home and _not _having sex." She waves them off before disappearing back into the crowd.

—

While everyone else in glee headed to Brittany's to celebrate, Quinn and Stefan headed home and immediately set out to shower and get cleaned up. Stefan took a shower in the guest bathroom down the hall while Quinn took a shower in their bathroom. All throughout her shower, as she struggled to wash all the hairspray out of her hair, she couldn't help but get the urge to just go over to their bathroom and join Stefan. Suppressing her desire for human blood was easy, but suppressing her desire for her husband? Well that was a completely different story.

She seriously considered joining him too and she definitely would have, had it not been for the fact that she had only scrubbed off half her zombie makeup so far and wasn't even close to washing out all the product of her hair stopped her. If she was going to surprise her husband by joining him in the shower, she sure wasn't going to do it looking like Baby Jane.

When she finally emerges from her shower, sans makeup and hairspray, she's surprised to hear that Stefan was still taking a shower down the hall, seeing as how he had started his shower before she had. She figures his current singing had something to do with his lollygagging. Chuckling, she walks out of the bathroom and heads over to their dresser. She tries to get the image of Stefan in shower out of her head, but frankly is unable to. Glancing at her undergarments, she purses her lips in thought. _Don't be a chicken, Quinn. You want this and you know he wants this, so just suck it up and make the first move already. Otherwise you will end up being a virgin for the rest of your existence! _This in mind, she grabs some white lace panties and a matching slip and quickly throws them on. She scurries back to the bathroom then and quickly finishes drying and combing out her hair. She sprays herself with a little perfume before walking back into their bedroom.

She takes to their bed, sitting on the edge, and waits anxiously for Stefan to return from his shower. She has to wait several minutes before she finally hears his shower being turned off. Her heart rate speeds up as he makes his way down the hall. She's almost positive that he could hear her and she really hoped she didn't give herself away already.

Stefan opens the door to their bedroom and almost instantly comes to a halt upon seeing Quinn. She bites her lip in anticipation as she takes in his nearly naked form, a pair of navy blue boxer/briefs being the only clothing on him.

"Hey you." she says in what she hopes is a seductive tone. She crosses her leg over the other, causing her slip to rise up just a tad. Stefan just stares at her, his hand still on the doorknob, while his green eyes subtly darkened. She hears him swallow hard. "Quinn….do you…I mean…" He was at a loss of words. Standing up, she walks over to him, closing the distance between them. "Tonight's been a night of firsts and I really want you, Stefan. All of you." She meets his gaze timidly, anxiously awaiting his response.

"Are you sure?" Though he wanted to make love to her more than anything else in the world, he had to make sure this was what she wanted, what shewas ready for.

"Positive." she whispers breathlessly. That's all he needs.

He leans down and captures her lips with his, his hands going to the back of her neck to deepen the kiss. Her hands come up to his chest, her fingers caressing his skin by drawing invisible circles around his pecs. His hands move from her neck and slide down to her shoulders, fingering the straps of her slip before gingerly pushing them down.

He watches with hungry eyes as she sheds the material and slowly tugs it down the length of her body leaving her in nothing but white lace panties. He meets her gaze, his passion for her soaring to new heights at the sight of her usually bright hazel eyes darkening with desire.

He jaw tightens in response and he swears to himself, feeling his eyes turning bloodshot and his fangs pushing against his gums. He quickly shuts his eyes and tries to take calming breaths but the image of her was seared in his mind, even with his eyes closed, he saw her beauty.

He lets out a ragged groan upon feeling her bare chest against his for the first time, followed by the feeling of her sweet lips on his.

She pulls away before he can fully respond and when his eyes flutter open, he finds her staring up at him with such love and adoration that he almost couldn't handle it. Her thumbs gingerly brush across his skin, across his cheeks, and like magic he no longer feels the ache in his gums.

She really has a special gift in calming him, something he would never take for granted.

He looks down at her, his gaze seeking hers. "Is this…I mean…do you want to, are you ready?"

She kisses him passionately then takes his hand, leading him over to their bed where she practically rips the covers back.

He stares at her for a moment, taking her in before joining her on the bed, propping himself up above her body. Their lips meet in another passionate exchange which only grows intensity. Reminding himself that he wanted to do this right and take it slow, Stefan breaks the kiss before he can get too out of control.

She regards him in confusion but before she has a chance to comment about it, he abruptly rolls them over so that she was now on top of him. She looks at him with wide eyes as he pushes himself upward so that he was in a sitting position, Quinn now straddling his lap.

"Quinn." he whispers, moving his right hand up to caress her face. His other hand caresses her lower back, sending shivers of pleasure up and down her spine. "Tell me now if you don't want this."

"Stefan." she wraps her arms around his neck, shaking her head before she rested her forehead against his, "I love you. I want this. I want you." she sighs.

Their eyes meet, saying everything to each other that they couldn't put into words. He nuzzles her nose before softly kissing her lips. He lets his lips travel downwards, gently kissing her neck before moving back up to the corner of her jaw. She turns her head toward him, her lips seeking his. He claims her lips with his own before sucking her lower lip ever so gently into his mouth, their kisses becoming deeper, more intimate.

Stefan takes his time with her, wanting to savor every second of this, every inch of her. He traces the outline of her body with his hands; sliding down her arms, caressing her ribs and higher until his thumbs brush against the undersides of her breasts. They were in no rush. He wanted to love her, teach her, show her just how much he loved her and prove to her that no one ever would or ever _could_ love her as strongly as he did. He never takes his eyes off her as he continues his slow exploration of her body. Quinn can actually feel the intensity of his gaze start to melt her to the core. She shivers in response to the feelings coursing through her at the slightest touch, and moans softly when his tongue darts out to taste her skin.

He peppers her skin with kisses, occasionally swiping his tongue across her stomach, before moving up her body. He licks her nipple before taking it between his teeth and gently tugging, causing her to cry out in need. His teeth and tongue combine in their unmerciful assault against her tight nipples. Her hands fly to his hair, her fingers entangling themselves in his disheveled locks, holding him steady, as he continues to attend to her breasts.

"Stefan." she whimpers, unsure of how much longer she could stand this ache that had settled in between her legs. She rotates her hips, rubbing herself against his erection in an attempt to ease the ache that only seemed to build. Stefan reluctantly releases her breast and gently eases her back down onto the bed, tucking a pillow underneath her head before hovering over her again.

A small shudder of pleasure courses through her as he grounds his hips into hers to relieve some of the pressure building up inside her. He pecks her sensitive lips before fingering the waistband of her panties and tugging them down, revealing herself completely to him.

He kisses her over her heart then continues down her body, kissing his way down in between her breasts, to her stomach and down even lower. Her hips buck forward when she finally felt his lips _there. _

Shuddering, her eyes widen when she feels him part her legs. "You don't…" she starts to say, blushing furiously as she shakes her head.

Stefan looks up at her then moves back up to her, kissing her lips softly. "Trust me, Quinn. I only want to make you feel good." She bites her lip hesitantly before eventually nodding her consent and leaning back into the mattress.

His hands grip her hips in a firm position as his tongue parts her folds and rasped a long stroke along her flesh, ending at her clit. Quinn lifts her head off the pillow and finds the sight of him touching her so intimately so incredibly erotic and meets his gaze as his mouth continued to caress her in the most intimate ways imaginable. She sinks back into the pillows as he applies the perfect amount of pressure to her, causing her thighs to violently tremble and a deep moan to escape her. It was so good she couldn't imagine him stopping. Her nails dig into his shoulders to the point where she was sure she had broken the skin. She cries out, feeling the pressure starting to build and build until she finally came into his awaiting mouth.

Breathing rapidly, she mumbles incoherently about nothing, tears flowing down her face in relief. Her eyes flutter open when she feels him hovering over her again and finds herself staring into his lustful green eyes.

She sighs, wanting to tell him everything she was feeling, right then and there, but her brain was so boggled from her first orgasm, she couldn't find the words to start. He smiles down at her and silences her with a kiss. His tongue slips into her mouth, then runs teasingly across her bottom lip. She pulls away from his lips, suddenly feeling deprived of oxygen, even though she really didn't need it.

He props himself up, his hands on either side of her shoulders, his gaze burning into hers. "Are you ready?"

She wraps her arms around his neck and nods.

"I'll take it slow." he whispers, reaching down and ripping his boxers off. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You wouldn't hurt me, Stefan. Besides, I'm a vampire, remember? I can take it."

He smiles weakly. "I like to think that, Quinn, but I've been a vampire a lot longer than you have and my strength says otherwise."

She runs a hand through his hair, looking up at him lovingly. "I trust you."

He sighs and kisses her forehead, her eyelids, every inch of her face, murmuring sweet nothings as he settles himself in between her legs. He takes a deep breath before slowly pushing himself into her. His jaw tightens at the tight fit and Quinn bites back a gasp, her nails digging deeper into his shoulder blades as he proceeds to fill her.

"Am I hurting you?" he asks worriedly, suddenly feeling stupid for asking such a question when it was clear that he was. She was practically biting her lip to the point to it bleeding as she held back tears.

She shakes her head, her thighs locking around his hips, "It's okay, I just…push in all the way, I can take it, I promise." He looks down at her unsurely.

"Stefan…" she pleads. He takes another unnecessary breath and pushes the rest of his length inside her, filling her completely.

He keeps still, waiting patiently for her to give him the okay to move. He swallows hard when she does and gently moves forward with his hips. The small movement was enough for both of them to throw their heads back in pleasure. Gripping his shoulders, she pulls him closer.

Taking that as a good sigh, he repeats his actions, over and over, their bodies now moving as one, rocking and swaying in excruciatingly slow but beautiful movements. The room soon fills with the sounds of their shallow pants and the soft creaks of their bed.

Feeling his body tremble, his jaw tightens, his desire becoming more and more uncontrollable. Their skin was sticky with sweat now and his tongue was on her neck, licking up the saltiness. Quinn shudders and clings to him even more, returning the favor by nipping at his earlobe before gently sucking on his neck. The feeling of her sucking at one of his most sensitive spots was enough to set him off. He surges inside of her channel, hitting her womb and then withdrawing only to hammer against her again. The hard thrust surprises her but it feels so good she doesn't really care.

His nails dig into the sheets as her nails press harder into his back. He was losing his battle with his control, he could feel his eyes going bloodshot again, his fangs elongating with his arousal. He shuts his eyes tightly and reached out for the headboard, cursing under his breath as it splintered under his grasp. He needed to calm himself but he was too far gone for that, he was past the point of return.

His breath starts to quicken as he slips his hands under her hips, lifting her up slightly. He takes one of her legs and places it over his shoulder and enters her at a different angle this time, causing her to cry out in surprise. "Oh god!" she gasps, her back arching and toes curling under her body. The bed begins to shake erratically with his thrusts, with their intimate dance. He could sense that she was close and so was he, it wouldn't be long before they both reached their peak together.

"Stefan, Stefan…Stefan." she whimpers, chanting his name over and over. She was doing her best to keep up with his thrusts, but the tightening sensation in her lower abdomen was making it hard for her to do so. She was so close to completely unraveling.

His hips jerk, the sound of his name on her lips sounding more erotic than he ever could imagine. He slips his hand between her legs, rubbing her clit momentarily before taking his hand away. He lifts her a fraction higher, hips moving more animalisticly against hers, his lips parting for a hungry kiss that she returned with the same amount of fervor.

His hands fly back to the headboard, an animalistic groan escaping him as she screams, the two tumbling over the edge together, releasing into one another.

"Stefan…Stefan…" she whispers, her thighs crushing his hips, her inner muscles milking him. He looks to her and his eyes widen at the sight of her offering her neck to him He growls, his tongue running across his fangs that had suddenly extended at her offer. "Stefan, I want you inside me in _every_ way possible." she says breathlessly, rolling her hips again.

He grunts at the contact, his hips bucking in response. He leans down and hungrily kisses her, his hands squeezing her sides. She pulled away from his lips and pushes his head down to the apex of her neck.

Unable to stand another second, his fangs sink into her neck, her sweet blood immediately filling his mouth. He sucks eagerly, his body trembling as he savors every ounce of her sweet elixir. Quinn's own bloodlust begins to boil over in response to his. Feeling her own eyes darken and her fangs painfully push through her gums, she bites down onto Stefan's shoulder without hesitation.

They cling to each other tightly as they drink from one another, their bodies still one. After a few moments, she retracts her fangs from his shoulder and with every ounce of strength that he had, he does the same and begins to lick her wound clean. Her toes curl from the sensation of him licking her wound, combined with the pleasure of him moving inside her, igniting her already burning body again. Her body arches against the pressure building deep in her core again, bringing her closer to the edge until she finally came.

It takes them a few minutes to regain their breath before meeting each other's gaze. With each other's blood still painted along their lips, she cups Stefan's face and kisses him passionately, her tongue swiping across his bottom lip, tasting her own blood on her tongue. He does the same to her before pulling himself out of her causing them both to groan at the lack of contact.

Quinn looks back to the wound she had given him to find that it had already fully healed. She lifts her hand up to her own neck and brushes her fingers over where he had bitten her. She couldn't feel the remains of a puncture wound.

"How do you feel?"

She smiles brightly up at him and nods. "I feel wonderful. That was…indescribable."

Stefan nods his agreement and kisses her forehead. "I love you."

She nuzzled her nose against his. "I love you too." she whispers.

"So now what do you want to do?" he asks, brow hiking.

Quinn giggles. "Well, I can _feel_ what you want to do, Mr. Salvatore, which is surprising, seeing as how I thought it took a bit longer for most guys to get like _that_ again after just having sex."

Stefan smirks. "Well most guys _aren't _vampires, Mrs. Salvatore. And you'll be pleased to find that vampires don't really need a lot of time to _recharge _since we don't tire easily to begin with."

"I gathered as much." she says with a playful glint in her eyes. Her hands slide underneath the covers to stroke his firm length. "And I think you have too."

"That I have." he rumbles, inhaling the sweet scent of her arousal that was calling to him.

"So what are you going to do about it?" she asks curiously, her hands still wrapped around him.

His eyes darken with need. "Well I think that I'm going to have to ravish my wife _again_…and _again_…and _again_…until we both collapse from utter exhaustion."

"Is that a promise?"

Stefan chuckles against her lips before kissing her passionately. "You bet it is."


	15. Surprise, Surprise

The harsh sunlight pouring in from their window awakens Stefan early the next morning. Sighing to himself he looks around blearily, blinking heavily in attempt to get his bearings. His gaze flickers to Quinn who was still sleeping soundly beside him. He smiles sleepily at the sight of her and automatically moves closer to her, reaching out and gently pulling her to his front. He leans down and nuzzles the crook of her neck, his lips grazing her skin. Her body shifts in response, a small smile tugging on her lips. "Mmm…"

"Wake up, love." he murmurs against her skin, his warm breath tickling her skin. She scrunches her nose up this time and makes a slight grumbling noise.

He smiles triumphantly and lightly nips at her earlobe before pulling back a little so she had enough room to roll over. "Morning." he greets, watching as her eyes slowly begin to flutter open.

"A very good morning." she greets back, sighing softly against his arm.

He brushes her hair out of her face and tucks it behind her ear. "How did you sleep?"

"Well what little sleep I got was amazing." she chuckles, leaning forward for a kiss.

"Hey you're the one who wanted to keep going." he teases, kissing her softly.

"It's not like you were complaining." she teases back, lightly poking his nose.

He laughs. "Any man would be utterly insane to complain about last night."

"Last night was amazing, wasn't it?" she sighs, smiling bashfully.

"Incredibly amazing." he agrees. "And the fact that you turned into a total sex kitten on me really helped too."

Blushing furiously, she scoffs. "I did no such thing."

"By the end of the night you started teaching me a thing or two." he smirks, kissing her once more. "This room proves so."

"I beg to differ!" she exclaims, sitting up and hugging the sheets to her body. "This," she points behind them to the broken headboard, "was all you. These pillows," She lifts up one of the torn pillows that had feathers falling out of it. "Also all you. And the poor desk over there again, _all you._"

He shrugs innocently as she lies back down next to him. "What can I say? You provoked me. It's very hard to keep in control when my wife looks like you do." She smiles cheekily. "But it's not like you're entirely innocent." he is quick to point out. "Had it not been for the fact that we heal quickly, I'm pretty sure I would be covered in bite marks."

"So would I!"

"Oh yeah?" His eyebrow hikes, his green eyes glinting mischievously. "Where would they be then?" he asks curiously.

Touching the side of her neck, she says, "Here."

"Where else?" He watches with rapt attention as she points to her collarbone next then slowly drags her finger down, taking the sheet with her. His gaze darkens and he swallows hard, transfixed by her fair skin.

"You just can't get enough of me, can you?" she smirks, tugging the sheet back up to cover herself.

Lifting his gaze, he shakes his head unashamedly. "Nope."

"_Insatiable_, Mr. Salvatore. That's what you are." she laughs, shaking her head.

"As are you, _Mrs. Salvatore._" he smirks, reaching out and rolling them over so that they could enjoy a few more hours of _not_ sleeping before they started their day.

—

"God, that took _forever._" Santana sighs, exasperated. She plops herself down onto Brittany's couch and leans back against the cushions. Brittany follows her lead a second later.

The two of them had just finished cleaning up the blonde's house, which had been completely trashed during the party celebrating the Titan's championship win. Of course now the place was spotless; one couldn't even tell that a huge blowout party had taken place the night before.

"I'm hungry, San." Brittany moans, resting her throbbing head on the Latina's shoulder. They were both still plenty hung over.

"Me too, Britt, but I'm way too tired to make anything." Santana sighs, leaning into her head.

"Let's go get breakfast at McDonald's." Brittany suggests, perking up a little.

Glancing at her phone, Santana frowns. "They stop serving breakfast at like 10:30. It's past noon now." Brittany slumps back into her previous position, pouting.

"I got an idea." Santana announces suddenly, her gaze flickering. "Let's go to Stefan and Quinn's house. Quinn's always raving about Stefan's amazing cooking, let's force him into making us breakfast."

"Sounds good to me." Brittany nods, pushing herself upright.

—

The two Cheerios arrive at Stefan and Quinn's house about fifteen minute later. Brittany skips up to the porch, Santana right on her heels, and knocks on the door. They patiently wait for a response only to come up empty handed. Pouting, Brittany tries again, this time ringing the doorbell as well. Still nothing.

Huffing impatiently, Santana moves past her and roughly pounds on the door. "Open up! We be hungry!" She looks back at Brittany quickly. "It's not like they can't hear us, I mean they're vampires for Christ's sake."

Brittany nods in agreement. "And Stefan's car is in the driveway," she begins. "…maybe they got kidnapped by the elves. I heard on the news that it's becoming a serious problem."

Chuckling, Santana rummages through her bag until she sets her sights on what she was looking for. Pulling the item out, Brittany asks skeptically, "They gave you a key to their house?"

"Gave. Stole. Borrowed. Same difference." Santana shrugs, jamming the key into the keyhole and unlocking the door.

Once she gets the door open, they step inside. "Their house is really big" Brittany comments, walking slowly through the foyer, taking in everything around them. "You could fit a whole herd of unicorns in the living room alone."

"Totally." Santana jerks her head to the stairs and Brittany silently nods, following the Latina up to the second floor.

"Maybe they're still sleeping." Brittany suggests quietly, tiptoeing down the hallway.

"I doubt it." Santana retorts, keeping the same tone of voice. "I mean they're vampires. They're, like dead. They don't really need to sleep, do they? Maybe they're just not home or something." She slowly opens the door at the end of the hall and peeks inside. Her jaw drops at the sight she's met with. "Holy shit."

"What do you see?" Brittany wonders, jumping to try and look over Santana's head. The Latina pushes the door open further enabling Brittany to see what was behind door number one. The blonde's eyebrows hike up in surprise.

"Britt, call the Vatican, cause it looks like we got ourselves another miracle." Santana smirks, stepping forward quietly.

"You know they made me delete their number from my phone." Brittany whispers, following behind her.

"It's about damn time." Santana shakes her head, arms folding across her chest as she takes in the sight of Stefan and Quinn entangled in their bed, clearly naked beneath the sheets covering them. She glances around the room and clicks her tongue. "So this is what the aftermath of two vampires doing it looks like." The torn pillows, the feathers floating in the air, the comforter and blankets strewn across the floor, the broken headboard….their room looked like a tornado had just passed though.

"Hey, San." Brittany nudges her arm and points to Stefan's desk, which clearly has two hand indentions in the wood on either side of it.

"Those are totally Quinn's." Santana whispers, stepping closer and taking in the hand size. "But the ones outside those are all Stefan."

Brittany chuckles and glances back at the couple who was the reason for all this damage. "They look so peaceful."

Santana nods in agreement, then whips out her phone to snap pictures of the couple and their destruction. For blackmailing purposes (just in case). "I didn't think vampires could tire, but apparently I was wrong."

"Maybe we shouldn't wake them." Brittany proposes while Santana walks closer to their bed.

"And miss this golden opportunity to embarrass them?" she scoffs. "I don't think so. Come on." Taking Brittany's hand, she pulls her towards the bed and together they jump up onto the mattress, then continue to do so.

"This bed feels like it's about to break down at any second." Brittany giggles softly, the bed squeaking from their movements.

"Totally, they really must've put this bed to work last night." Santana smirks, glancing at the sleeping couple. "Hey little kinky vampires, wake up…." she sing songs, lightly nudging one of them with her foot.

Stefan rolls onto his back with a heavy sigh, giving Santana and Brittany the perfect view of his muscular torso. "Damn." First sharing an impressed look with Brittany, Santana snaps a picture of him with her phone. "Britt, let's pull the covers down, see if he's just as impressive below the waist…"

Finally picking up on the noise, Stefan's eyes flutter open and to his surprise (and confusion), he's met with the sight of a very amused looking Santana and Brittany jumping on their bed. "What the hell?"

"What's wrong?" Quinn murmurs sleepily beside him, turning around and draping her arm over his body.

"Stefan, will you make us breakfast?" Brittany asks politely, no longer bouncing on the bed.

Quinn's eyes fly open at the sound of Brittany's voice but it isn't until she rolls on her back and sees Santana looking down at both of them that her brain is actually able to process what's happening. "What are you guys going here?" she demands groggily, her voice raspy from sleep. She self-consciously tugs the sheets up her body as she sits up.

"Making fun of you for finally getting some, Q." Santana smirks. "And by the looks of this room, it seems that you got _a lot_." Turning to Brittany she continues, "Well, Britt, it looks like we got the Unholy Trinity back." Brittany grins and together they high-five each other.

"Hey I waited until I got married to have sex." Quinn points out, frowning. "There is nothing unholy about that."

Rolling her eyes, Santana waves her off. "Whatever, you two totally did the nasty. And this entire room is just evidence that what went down here last night was anything _but_ holy."

Quinn turns beet red in response.

Santana laughs at this. "See, you didn't even try to deny it. But seriously, congratulations, Q. It was about time you got laid. You were like _this_ close to becoming a forty-year old virgin."

Quinn scoffs. "I'm only seventeen!"

"Would you mind getting off our bed?" Stefan sighs heavily, partially annoyed. Santana glares at him before her and Brittany reluctantly hop off the bed.

"Anyways, we came here wondering if you would make us breakfast." Santana says, looking back at Stefan. "We be hungry."

Stefan arches his eyebrow skeptically. "And why would I do that?"

"We'll make out in front of you if you do." Santana shrugs. Brittany's face lights up at the prospect of getting food _and _making out with Santana.

"Can't you make yourselves breakfast?" Quinn sighs, plucking the feathers tangled up in her locks.

Santana rolls her eyes. "We just spent the whole night partying it up like nobody's business and all this morning cleaning Britt's house. Not everybody has your vampire stamina, Q. We be tired and the last thing we want to do is cook."

"Ever heard of _fast food_?" Stefan retorts.

"Ever heard of _shut the fuck up?_" Santana snaps back. _"_Now will you make us breakfast or what?"

"If I do will you leave?" Stefan questions.

Santana and Brittany both nod. "We would be happy to leave you to get back to your _sexcapades._"

"Mind leaving the room so we can get dressed?" Quinn asks, decidedly ignoring her last comment.

"Is that dried blood on your shoulder?" Brittany asks curiously, head cocked to the side.

Santana glances back at Stefan's shoulder and makes a face. "Ew."

"Hey don't look at me, that was all Quinn." Stefan smirks. Quinn blushes.

"That's disgusting, there's blood all up in the bed." Santana grimaces, noticing that their mattress had blood stains. "God what did you all do, massacre an animal up in there?"

Brittany wrinkles her nose up in disgust. "Quinn, that's not like your _down there _bl-"

"No!" Quinn interjects quickly. "No, Britt. We just...ugh…no…." Her cheeks flush deeply again, as do Stefan's.

"They just got a little enthusiastic with the biting is all Britt." Santana assures, placing a hand on Brittany's shoulder.

"Just give us a minute to get dressed and we'll meet you in the kitchen." Stefan says, making a shooing motion with his hands in hope the two cheerleaders would get the message.

"Fine." Santana grumbles, rolling her eyes before heading toward the door. "But if we hear moaning and groaning going on…"

"How the hell did they even get into the house?" Is what Stefan wants to know once the girls are out of their room. Quinn shrugs and carefully slips out of bed, still hugging the sheet to her body.

Noticing this, Stefan frowns, slightly amused by the fact that she was doing everything to ensure that the sheet didn't fall. "Since when are you shy?"

"That's not it. I just don't trust you enough to walk around naked." she tells him matter-of-factly.

"I have _some_ control." Stefan scoffs in his defense.

"Which seems to diminish every time I show you a little skin." she reminds, walking around the bed and heading towards the bathroom.

Stefan follows her without hesitation, unabashed by his nudity. "That's not true."

"So true." she laughs, glancing over her shoulder before heading over to their shower. "See!" she gestures to his naked form.

Stefan holds up his hands in his defense. "Hey, I'm merely trying to take a shower! This has nothing to do with sex."

Quinn shakes her head, pushing at his chest. "You are not taking a shower with me. I don't trust you, Stefan Salvatore."

"You're really starting to hurt my feelings, Quinn. Besides it would take less time _and_ we would be conserving water."

Looking at him warily, her eyebrow quirks. "Fine. But no funny business, got it?"

"Got it." Stefan nods, following her into the shower.

But of course after a few moments of being good, Stefan disregards his previous assurance and starts placing little kisses against the side of her neck. Squirming, she shrugs him off with a laugh. "Take it easy tiger or I'll throw you out." she threatens mildly, handing him the soap.

"You wouldn't dare." he scoffs, kissing her damp hair. "You love me too much."

Quinn just shakes her head and goes back to lathering up her hair. "You know I can feel your eyes still on me." she says after few seconds, peering over her shoulder at him.

"I may not be human, but I'm still a man. And you are a woman. A _very_, _very_ naked woman." he smirks, placing his hands on her hips and bringing her body flush against his.

"No funny business, remember?" she sighs, glancing back at him.

"I remember." he nods, his hands meanwhile sliding down her body. "But technically I never promised anything. The next thing Quinn knows is Stefan has her pinned to the shower wall.

"Stefan…" she warns, lifting her gaze. "We are not having sex with Santana and Brittany waiting downstairs."

Stefan chuckles. "Who said anything about sex?" he questions, his eyebrow quirked. "This is all for you." he tells her before dropping down to his knees.

Needless to say their shower takes a little bit longer than anticipated.

—

Once they finish with their shower though, Stefan and Quinn quickly dress and head down to the kitchen, where a sour looking Santana and Brittany sat at the counter waiting.

"Finally." Santana sighs, exasperated. "What took you two so damn long?"

Catching sight of the knowing glance Stefan and Quinn exchange, Santana rolls her eyes. "Jesus, you mean to tell me you two were at it _again_?"

Stefan claps his hand, gesturing to the refrigerator, purposely ignoring Santana's comment. "So what do you guys want for breakfast?"

"Waffles….and….eggs…and bacon." Brittany say with a firm nod before adding a sweet, "Please" at the end of her sentence.

"So how was the party?" Quinn asks curiously, opening the refrigerator to pick out the ingredients needed.

"A-MA-ZING." Santana replies, beaming. "One of Britt's best parties yet."

Brittany nods in agreement, smiling proudly. "Even Lord Tubbington enjoyed himself."

"I have never seen a cat more wasted in my entire life." Santana laughs at the memory, taking one of the glasses of orange juice Quinn hands her.

Stefan's brow furrows dubiously. "You gave your cat alcohol?"

Brittany shakes her head, taking a sip of her orange juice. "He loves his Grey Goose."

"You guys really should've gone." Santana continues. "You totally missed out on seeing Rachel drunk as hell."

Quinn raises her eyebrow skeptically. "You actually got Rachel to drink?"

Santana and Brittany both nod. "She was so happy over our win that she didn't give a fuck and started downing jello shots like crazy." Santana explains, miming the events. "And once she started, she just kept going. Unfortunately for us, that girl cannot hold her alcohol."

"And neither can Blaine." Brittany giggles.

"Yeah, that warbler sure surprised me. He _really_ got hammered. I mean he was _this_ close to making out with Lord Tubbington." Santana laughs.

"But Kurt wouldn't let things get that far." Brittany sighs, pouting slightly.

"Sounds like a wild night." Quinn comments, cracking two eggs onto a pan.

"Still probably not as wild as yours." Santana teases, smirking against the rim of her glass.

—

Much to Stefan and Quinn's dismay, once breakfast is over, Santana and Brittany head over to the living room and plop themselves down on the couch and turn on the television.

"Uh, I thought you said you'd leave as soon as Stefan fed you?" Quinn questions, arms folded across her chest as she blocks the television.

"Jesus, Q. Take a chill pill. Britts and I need a few moments to digest that insanely delicious meal yo hubby made." Santana retorts, gesturing to her to move out of the way. "You know you really need to learn to be more hospitable to your guests."

"Guests?" Stefan repeats, walking into the living room. "You two come into our house_ uninvited_, rudely wake us up, and force us to make you two breakfast."

"Technicalities." Santana scoffs, waving him off.

"You know you're in the house of two vampires," Stefan begins, leaning his hands on the back of the couch where they sat. "we could always _throw _you two out."

"And he means literally _throw_." Quinn smirks, her hands going to her hips.

"I'm calling your bluff." Santana shakes her head, pushing herself forward. "You wouldn't dare."

Stefan's eyes narrow behind her. "Try me."

Just as Santana was about to come up with some smart mouthed reply, her phone starts buzzing from inside her pocket. "Hold that broody stare." she tells Stefan, holding up a finger.

"Rachel wants to know if we want to kick back at her house later on tonight with the rest of the glee girls…and Kurt." she says out loud, glancing over the text message. She lifts her gaze to Quinn expectantly. "You in?"

Quinn nods. "Yeah." Glancing at Stefan she makes sure, "You okay with that?"

Stefan nods. "Of course. While you're out I can repair our bedroom." he smirks.

"Good luck with that." Santana mutters, typing a reply to Rachel.

Stefan gaze flickers back to Quinn. He points to Santana. "I was just about to kick her out, wasn't I?"

Quinn nods, unable to help her smirk. "I think you were."

Stefan makes his way around the couch but Santana and Brittany hop off the cushions before he can get anywhere near them. "Alright, calm yourself Salvatore." Santana glares, holding up her hand defensively. "We'll go. No need to get physical with us. You can do that with Quinn."

Rolling her eyes, Quinn walks over to the front door and opens it. "I'll see you guys later."

"Thanks for the breakfast." Brittany says again, waving briefly before skipping out the front door.

"Yeah, you really are a good cook, Salvatore. We really are going to have to drop by more often." Santana smiles smugly, giving Quinn a quick hug before heading out the door.

"Don't you dare." Stefan calls after her, coming up behind Quinn. Santana just smirks and gives a little wave over her shoulder before getting into her car.

"We're really going to need to get a security system now just to keep those to out." Quinn chuckles lightly once the duo was out of sight.

"And a guard dog." Stefan nods, following her back inside. "You would think two vampires would be able to keep two cheerleaders out of their house, wouldn't you?"

"Oh, Stefan." Quinn turns and leans into him. "Never underestimate cheerleaders. Especially Cheerios."

—

Later that evening, Quinn pulls up to Rachel's house in Stefan's Impala to find that mostly everyone was already there. Or at least so it looked judging by the number of cars parked out front. She walks up to the front door and reaches for the doorbell but before she can press it, the door opens suddenly, startling her.

"Hello, Quinn." Kurt greets, stepping aside to let her in. "Looking lovely as always."

"Hey Kurt, she greets back, stepping forward and giving him a hug. Looking around, she asks, "Where's Rachel?"

Sighing, Kurt closes the door and proceeds to lead her through the house. "Rachel found out that it had been Santana who wrote on her face during Britt's party and to say the least they got into a little squabble." he explains.

"Santana wrote on Rachel's face?" Quinn repeats, brow raised.

"Rachel momentarily passed out from all the alcohol she consumed and Santana well , being Santana, saw it as an opportunity to show off her artistic talents. I have pictures if you want to see them."

"Maybe later." she chuckles, following Kurt into the back room. She stops abruptly at the sight of Santana and Rachel rolling around on the floor, the latter currently in a headlock.

"Santana, let go of me!" Rachel screams from under the Latina.

"You started it gnome! I told you if you messed with me, I'd go all Lima Heights on your skinny ass." Santana exclaims, ruffling up her hair. "Now say that you hate Barbara Streisand otherwise-"

Rachel gasps. "I'd rather die than utter those words!"

"Otherwise I'll totally have Britt draw on your face with a _permanent_ marker." Santana continues, cackling.

"Will someone _do something_?" Rachel begs, continuing to struggle against Santana's hold on her.

"Sorry, Rach, but this is just too funny." Mercedes says through fits of laughter, recording the whole thing on her phone.

Feeling sorry for the poor girl, Quinn puts her bag down before walking over to her two friends. "Santana." she sighs, shaking her head at her before effortlessly prying Rachel from Santana's grasp. Tina, Mercedes, and Kurt all stop and raise their eyebrows in surprise at her strength.

"Thank you, Quinn." Rachel says breathlessly, standing up right and smoothing out her skirt. "At least I know who my true friends are." she says pointedly, throwing a glare to the others.

Tina rolls her eyes and sighs. "We would've helped you…eventually."

"Yeah, no need to be a drama queen." Mercedes adds on, taking a sip of the vitamin water in her hand.

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to?" Quinn questions lightly as she and Rachel exchange a hug.

"Anyways, where did you and Stefan run off to after the game?" Kurt inquires, taking a seat on the armrest of the couch. "We missed you at Britt's party."

"Oh shit that reminds me." Santana says abruptly, pushing herself upright. "Quinn and Stefan totally did the deed last night."

"Really?"

"What? No way!"

"That's wonderful!"

Santana rolls her eyes and scoffs. "You all heard me." the Latina waves her outstretched hand. "It's time ya'll cough up yo money."

Groaning at the reminder, everyone - except Brittany - reluctantly fishes through their pockets or purses and each hands over five dollars.

"What's going on?" Quinn frowns, watching as Santana collected their money.

"I bet these losers that you would finally lose your virginity this month and these sucka's just lost." Santana explains. She turns to Rachel expectantly. "Pay up, hobbit."

Rachel rolls her eyes as she slaps her money down on Santana's palm.

Looking to Brittany, Santana tells her, "Remind me to collect from the boys on Monday." Brittany nods, while Quinn grimaces. "Wait, you mean the guys were in on this bet too?"

Santana counts up her money and nods. "Totally, even Mr. Schue." Lifting her gaze, she chuckles at Quinn's mortified expression. "Just kidding, Q. It was actually Coach Sylvester who was in on the bet."

Quinn scowls, reluctantly taking a seat. "Not funny."

"So how was it?" Rachel chirps brightly, turning to her.

Santana sits down next to Brittany and pockets her money. "Yeah, Q, how was it?" she smirks.

Quinn rolls her eyes and sighs heavily. "Santana, why do you ask questions you already know the answer to?"

"Hey, you kicked us out before we could get the details." Santana retorts. "So, spill it sister."

"But don't go _too much _into detail." Mercedes pleads, holding her hand up. "I just had dinner."

"What Stefan and I did last night is between us and only us."

"We're not going to stop pestering you until you tell us some details, Q." Santana says knowingly.

Rachel glances back at Quinn and assures, "You don't have to tell us anything you don't want to."

Feeling Santana's gaze still on her, Quinn reluctantly relents. "Fine, I'll tell you. What do you even want to know anyways?"

"Well how did it happen for one." Kurt begins, subtly scooting closer to her as did everyone else.

"Yeah, where you two so amped up from the game and halftime show that you hormones were all over the place and were just unable to contain your passion for each other for another minute?" Rachel asks, her eyes wide.

"Calm yourself, shorty." Santana advises, making a disgusted face. Rachel's cheeks redden in respond.

"Did you plan to do it last night or did it just…happen?" Tina asks curiously.

Quinn shakes her head. "It wasn't planned, that's for sure." she says, laughing slightly.

"Who initiated it?" Rachel wonders.

"I guess that would've been me…" Quinn responds, her cheeks flushing slightly.

"Alright." Mercedes says with a laugh, clapping her hands. "You go on with your bad self! So was it all slow and romantic or was it like one of those raunchy movies where you two just…" Mercedes smacks her hands together and wiggles her fingers. "Got it on like two animals in heat?"

Santana smirks. "I think I can answer that-" Quinn abruptly chucks one of the throw pillows at her, effectively shutting her up.

"We were…passionate." she answers, glancing back at Mercedes. "Let's just put it that way."

"But you two were safe right?" Kurt asks, brow raised. Everyone looks at her expectantly.

"Yes, of course." she lies, nodding. "Every time." Seeing as how vampires can't reproduce or contract diseases protection was unnecessary, though admittedly protection didn't even come to mind last night.

"Every time?" Mercedes repeats, surprised. "How many times did ya'll do it?"

"I mean…we did it more than once that night…" she replies, her face heating up at the memory of how eager they were.

"Give us a number." Santana demands.

"I didn't keep count." Quinn scoffs, even though she mentally had the number in her head - although she wasn't quite sure it was accurate seeing as how she lost track a couple times. Because, really, counting was the last thing on her mind at the time.

"If you don't want to tell us, tell us by using fingers."

"No way."

"Fine, I'll do it." Santana sighs, lifting up her hand. "It was more than once, so…" She lifted up two fingers, "Was it more or less than two?"

Quinn turns her head, refusing to play this game.

"That totally means more than two." Kurt smirks, nudging Mercedes' arm.

"I didn't even say anything!" Quinn exclaims, eyes wide.

"Your face said it all." Rachel promptly informs her. "You really need to learn how to control your facial expressions."

"How about three?"

"Santana…"

"Just answer the question, Q."

Quinn huffs in frustration. "Okay, more than three. More than four?"

She reluctantly relents then, shyly nodding her head. "Can we stop this game now?"

"More than four times?" Kurt repeats, mouth slightly agape. In one night? What are you two? Radioactive teenagers?"

Brittany shakes her head. "No, they're just vam-" Luckily, Santana's quick enough to stop Brittany's slip up by covering her mouth with her hand.

"Okay, that's it, no more questions about this!" Quinn says firmly, silently thanking Santana for intercepting.

"But-"

"I have one more question!"

"C'mon, things were just getting interesting!"

"Did I ever tell you guys that I got a tattoo?" she blurts out randomly. That immediately shuts everyone up.

"What?" Santana exclaims.

"You g-got a tattoo?" Rachel repeats, her eyes wide.

"Girl, don't you know you can get infections from that kind of stuff?" Mercedes says, looking concerned.

"Well? Where is it?" Santana demands, crawling forward and beckoning to Quinn to show it.

"When did you ever get a tattoo?" Kurt inquires, brow furrowed.

"Shortly after I was turned." Quinn replies easily, but of course as soon as the words left her mouth, she instantly realizes that she had slipped up. Oh crap.

Kurt's eyes narrow. "Turned?"

"You didn't let her finish. She means after she was turned back into a healthy cancer free girl." Rachel says quickly. "Isn't that what you meant, Quinn?"

Thank god for Rachel and her quick thinking.

Quinn nods, mentally praying her face wasn't as red as it felt. "Yeah. That's exactly what I meant."

"Whatever. Show us the tattoo." Mercedes urges.

Sighing, she pushes herself off the couch and lifts up her shirt a little, pushing her skirt down a tad to show her hip and the small rose tattoo on it.

"It's beautiful." Rachel says in awe, nodding her approval.

"Did it hurt?" Tina asks.

Quinn shakes her head and readjusts her clothes. "Not at all. I got it so that it looks like Stefan's tattoo."

Mercedes does a double take. "Hold up, Stefan has a tattoo too? No way!"

"And just when I thought Stefan couldn't get any sexier." Kurt mumbles, sighing slightly.

"Yeah, but he's had his for awhile." she explains, taking to her seat again. "But he got another tattoo with me."

"What is it of?" Brittany wonders curiously.

"It's just some script on the inside of his forearm. My name." she says with an embarrassed shrug. "And then underneath it says, My love. My soul. My angel."

All the girls - and Kurt -practically melts into their seats, save for Santana, who merely rolls her eyes.

"God, that boy is so whipped." Shaking her head, she continues, "But I am surprised at ya, Q. Getting laid, getting a tattoo, you're becoming a real bad ass aren't ya?" she teases. "What's next, you gonna get a nose ring and dye your hair pink?"

Quinn scoffs, looking at her like she was crazy. "As if _I_ would ever do those things, Santana."

—

Stefan closes the door behind him and walks out to the curb, carrying with him two large trash bags filled with the remnants of their bedroom pillows and sheets. For a brief second he feels another presence behind him, to which he stops and turns around for. Finding himself alone, he shakes his head and continues walking. He throws the trash bags into the bins he had set by the curb for trash day and turns back to the house.

On his way up the porch steps he hears a faint movement behind him. He swiftly turns around then, his eyes narrowed and alert. "Hello?"

He looks around the still yard, eyes scanning for a presence. When he comes up empty-handed once more, he exhales, shrugging his shoulders briefly before turning back around. He comes up short at the sight standing before him, taken aback.

His jaw clenches of its own accord as the person before him greets with a smirk, "Hello, brother."


	16. Monsters

"Hello, brother."

Knowing this day was bound to come sooner or later, Stefan just sighs and nods simply. "Damon."

"Baby bro." The corner of Damon's mouth tilts upward in one of his infamous smirks. "Long time no see."

"When did you get here?" he asks despite his better judgment.

"You hair's different. I like it." Damon remarks, his gaze flickering, effectively evading his younger brother's question.

"It's been fifteen years, Damon." Stefan reminds, folding his arms across his chest.

"And thank god for that." Damon sighs dramatically. "I couldn't take another day of the '90's." He makes a face before glancing at Stefan, smirking, "That horrible grunge look did not suit you."

"Why are you here Damon?" he asks wearily, sighing heavily.

"I missed my little brother." Damon says with an innocent shrug, mimicking Stefan's posture.

Stefan scoffs and glances back at his brother disbelievingly. "You hate small towns and you hate the Midwest." he reminds. "You always complain that there's nothing to do."

"I'm a little mad at you, Stefan." Damon begins. "I failed to receive an invitation to your _wedding._ I'm beginning to take it personally."

Stefan knows he shouldn't be surprised that his brother knows about the wedding, but he is. "How'd you find out?"

"Wasn't hard." Damon retorts. He looks at him expectantly. "So when were you going to tell me?"

"Never." Stefan responds honestly. "I wasn't planning on running into you ever again."

Damon makes a grand gesture like his brother's comment had wounded him deeply. "Ouch." He plays it off, more amused than anything. "So how long did it last? Before you, you know drained her?"

"I didn't drain her." Stefan says tightly, doing his best to not let his brother get to him. "I'm not like that anymore." he informs with sigh.

Damon steals a sidelong glance and snorts. "Yeah, _okay_. We'll see how long _that_ lasts."

Stefan turns his head, ignoring Damon's comment.

"Nice house." Damon comments before clasping Stefan on the shoulder. "Let's go inside and have a drink, shall we?" Not waiting for a response, he walks up to the front door. Stefan stays where he is, only turning his head, when Damon asks expectantly, "Going to invite me in, brother?"

"When hell freezes over." he retorts easily, admittedly smirking when he catches sight of Damon's expression.

"You know for someone who's no longer a ripper, you aren't very nice."

"Damon, what…"Picking up the familiar sound of his car nearby, Stefan turns his head, his words drifting off. Quinn was on her way home.

"Well, well, well, sounds like the Mrs. is almost home." Damon says with a devilish smirk, apparently picking up on the same thing. "Can't wait to meet her, Stefan."

"Leave now, Damon." Stefan glares. There was no way he wanted Quinn within ten feet of his brother.

Damon chuckles at his little brother's attempt to intimidate him. "Take it easy, little brother." he says, holding up his hands. "What do you think I'm going to do, kill her_?_" he smirks.

Before Stefan can respond, the headlights of his Impala flash as Quinn pulls into their driveway. Without hesitation he hastily walks up to the car, opening the door for her before she has the chance to.

"Hey what are you doing home so soon?" he inquires right off the bat, reluctantly taking a step back to give Quinn enough room to get out.

"Rachel made these vegan appetizers that didn't sit well with the others. I think they all got food poisoning." she explains, smoothing out her skirt before greeting him with a kiss. "Needless to say it was kind of a mood-killer with everyone as green as they were so we decided to end things early." Taking notice of Damon for the first time, she asks curiously, "Who's this?"

Damon saunters forward, a cheeky smirk plastered across his face. "I'm Damon, your new brother-in-law." He introduces himself, abruptly taking her hand in his and bringing it up to his lips.

"I'm Quinn. Pleasure to finally meet you, Damon." Quinn says politely, taking her hand out of Damon's grasp before his lips can graze her skin.

"Back off Damon." Stefan warns.

"Take it easy, baby bro." Damon scoffs, reluctantly pulling back nevertheless. "I'm just trying to be friendly to my new _sis._" He bats his long eyelashes at Quinn.

"Why are you here, Damon?" Stefan asks again, getting impatient.

"A little birdie told me you were suddenly Mr. Holier than thou and I just had to see for myself." Damon replies easily, finally taking his gaze off Quinn to glance back at Stefan.

"Well, it's true. I've got my humanity back." he answers curtly. "You can leave now."

Damon chuckles darkly before stepping forward, leaning into Stefan. "I promised you an eternity of misery, brother." he reminds. "And since you've always been _Mr. I don't give a damn about anything_, it's been really hard to make you suffer. But now…" His gaze flickers to Quinn. "Well, _you_ little lady just suddenly made my job a _whole_ lot easier."

Releasing a guttural growl, Stefan blurs forward and slams his brother against the front door. Quinn gasps and immediately looks around, praying that no one had seen that display. Damon lets out a strained laugh as he tries to pry his brother's hand from around his throat. It takes a few seconds but eventually he's able to forcefully push Stefan off of him. "You really want to start this here?" he asks, brow arched. He steps off the porch and gestures to the open yard. "What would the neighbors think?"

Jaw clenched, Stefan tries to advance toward his brother but Quinn grabs onto his arm. "He's right, Stefan. If someone were to see..."

"Yeah Stefan, listen to the Mrs." Damon says, brushing off his leather jacket and shrugging.

Stefan's gaze darkens. "Just because I've got my humanity back doesn't mean I've stopped drinking human blood, big brother. I'm just as strong as you are and if you provoke me enough, I _will_ rip your heart out."

"Yeah, okay." Damon rolls his eyes. "Whatever you say, Stef."

"There's nothing for you here, Damon." Stefan continues, annoyed. "So why don't you just leave?"

Damon's amused smile falters into a sincere expression. "Do you really want me gone?" he asks, looking to him seriously.

Stefan nods. "Yes. I want you gone."

"Well you can't always get what you want, now can you brother?" he chuckles, his smirk back full force.

Stefan's eyes narrow. "What kind of game are you playing Damon?"

Damon shrugs. "Guess you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?" His gaze falls to Quinn questioningly. "You wouldn't happen to know where I can get a drink, now do you?"

Thinking for a moment, she replies, "Well there's a bar off of-"

"I wasn't talking about that kind of drink honey." Damon says slyly, stepping closer to Quinn. "You know you do smell _amazing_…You wouldn't mind if I take a bite, now would you?" Stefan snarls viciously and lunges for Damon but Quinn holds him back, simultaneously keeping Damon at bay.

Confused, Damon's brow furrows at Quinn's surprisingly display of strength. "Wait….you aren't…."

Quinn flashes her fangs quickly before retracting them. "Surprise."

His eyebrows lift in surprise. "You married a vampire?" he inquires, turning to Stefan. "I'm shocked."

"She was dying and I turned her." Stefan explains, moving in between Quinn and Damon.

"Interesting." Damon muses to himself, his gaze flickering between the two.

"What's it going to take for you to leave Lima, Damon?" Quinn asks, stepping out from behind Stefan and crossing her arms.

"Nothing you say or do is going to make me leave." he promptly says. "I promised you an eternity of misery, Stefan. I always keep my promises and if a few people have to die because of it, well then…" Damon shrugs carelessly. "That's on you."

Within the blink of an eye the older Salvatore was gong, leaving Stefan and Quinn alone in the yard. Quinn turns and looks around while Stefan just shakes his head and sighs. "Maybe if we just ignore him, he'll leave on his own." she suggests, her gaze falling back on Stefan.

"That won't work." he says, still shaking his head. He nods toward the house and together they begin up the front porch.

"Well then maybe…"

"Don't worry about this, Quinn." Stefan interrupts, leading them into the house. "I'll take care of my brother." he assures.

Brow furrowed, she inquires, "How?" She closes the door behind them and follows him into the living room.

"Simple. The next time I see my brother I am going to kill him." he says, turning around to face her.

"Isn't that a little extreme?" she questions, eyes slightly wide. "I mean he is your brother."

"My brother whose only goal in life is to make my life a living hell." he reminds, heading up the stairs.

"But isn't that what _all_ big brother's goals are? To torment their little brothers?" she asks, walking along side him.

"We aren't normal brothers, Quinn. We're vampires. If one ticks off the other, we take it out on them by feeding on someone, by_ killing_. I've spent 145 years shedding blood. The last thing I want now is more innocent blood to be spilt because of me."

"But do you really think going after Damon is a smart move? I mean, you really think he's just going to _let _you kill him? You guys are equally matched. If you try to kill him, he'll try to kill _you_." she points out, closing their bedroom door behind her.

"I can handle him, Quinn."

Her eyebrow quirks. "And if you can't?" she demands. "If you die Stefan, everything we've been through will have been for nothing. Are you really willing to risk throwing away forever just because you want your brother out of your life?"

"As long as he's alive our forever is already in danger." Stefan says seriously, turning around to face her. "I _made_ him turn, Quinn. He made it clear that he would _never _forgive me for that. Damon will take me not being a ripper into his advantage. He will make my life miserable whichever way he can. And the only chance he has of doing that is by targeting you." he stresses, taking a few closer to her.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I _can't_ lose you." He grasps both of her shoulders, looking at her deeply. "So I'm going to do whatever I have to, to ensure that _never _happens."

"But Stefan, he's your _brother._" she reminds once more. "Do you really think you'll be able to kill him if you were given the chance?"

Stefan nods. "If he ever harms you, then yes." he says without hesitation.

Shortly after that they decide to call it a night, neither one wanting to argue about what they should about Damon for another minute. But of course because Quinn couldn't stop thinking about it, she finally got up around three or four in the morning. Reopening her eyes, she turns and realizes Stefan wasn't even in bed. She glances around their room and finds him sitting at his desk, reading. "How long have you been up?" she wonders, her voice a little raspy.

"I didn't really go to sleep." he confesses, closing his book when she gets up. "I just waited until you fell asleep before I started reading." He reluctantly gets up when Quinn takes his hand and beckons to him to join her back in their bed.

He rests his head against his pillow and sighs, smiling contently when he feels her body curl into his. "I love you, Stefan." she whispers, her warm breath tickling his cheek. He turns his head and meets her kiss, pressing his forehead into hers for a second before pulling back. "Love you too."

"Everything's going to be okay." she reassures quietly, resting her head against his chest and closing her eyes.

"Yeah it will. One way or the other." he murmurs, absentmindedly stroking her hair until he sensed her drift back to sleep.

—

A few weeks pass and to Quinn's surprise (and to her concern), she had yet to see anything out of the ordinary happen. No influx of murders, no animal attack reports…nothing. Neither Stefan or herself had seen Damon since that night he arrived. They both figured he was lying low for the time being, waiting for the moment when they finally let their guard down before he made his move.

Having just said her goodbyes to Stefan for the time being, Quinn makes her way toward glee rehearsal. She's nearly at the choir room when, out of the corner of her eye, she spots a familiar figure outside. Pausing, her turns her head toward the window, and when it's confirmed that she had indeed caught sight of Damon loitering out by the student parking lot, she quickly reroutes her destination and heads outside.

Just as she storms up to the elder Salvatore, a red-headed Cheerio is walking away from him, clearly in a trance-like state. "What are you doing here?" she demands, glaring up at him.

"Nice to see you, too, Quinn." he smiles, turning his head. "I'm fine, thanks for asking."

"Why are you here?" she asks again through gritted teeth.

"I see my little brother's attitude is rubbing off on you." he comments, apparently amused by this. "But if you must know, I'm just grabbing a late lunch." he explains, continuing to eye the cheerio walking back to the practice field.

"You need to leave, Damon." she says seriously. "If you think I'm just going to let you fed on the people I go to school with then-"

"And what are you going to do about it, blondie? Hmm?" he asks, eyebrow quirked. He steps closer to her, getting uncomfortably close to her. "Cause last time I checked, I'm a lot older than you are, therefore a lot stronger."

Quinn scoffs at his attempt to intimidate her. "You don't scare me, Damon." she says, shaking her head.

"Well, I can easily change that." he smirks.

Rolling her eyes, she turns on her heel and starts back toward the school. But before she can get more than a couple steps away from Damon, he calls out to her. "You know I've been watching you lately."

Despite her better judgment she stops in her tracks and slowly turns around. "How stalkerish of you." she remarks, unimpressed.

"I've been observing you, Quinn. You know putting all the pieces of your life together." he continues, stepping forward. "You're in _glee club_," He rolls his eyes mockingly. "Your best friends are Santana and Brittany, both cheerleaders and incredibly sexy, and you used to date Finn, who's your typical dimwitted jock who's currently dating another friend of yours, Rachel, who dresses like a five-year old, yet somehow manages to still be attractive." he says, brow furrowing. Noticing the shock flash across Quinn's eyes, he can't help but smirk again. "I could keep going, because that's only the _tip_ of the iceberg of what I know about you, Quinn Fabray."

"_Salvatore_." she corrects with a hard glare. "I'm married, remember?"

Damon scoffs lightly and tsks, waving his forefinger at her. "You have to earn the right to that name, sweetheart." Quinn just rolls her eyes at him.

"You know you seemed genuinely shocked that I've been learning about you." he brings up. "I mean what did you think I was doing these past few weeks? Lounging around? Taking in whatever sights this god-awful town has to offer?" He snorts at the very idea.

"One could only hope." she retorts, forcing a smile.

"You've got spunk." he comments, stepping even closer to her and wrapping a finger around one of her curls. "I like it. Very sexy."

"You're wasting your breath, Damon." she says tiredly, sharply pushing him away.

"I'm sorry." He holds up his hands in apology. "If I'm making you uncomfortable. It's not my intention."

Quinn scoffs, seeing right through his fake sincerity, "Yes it is."

"It's been awhile since a girl has been able to resist my charm…" he pauses, then adds, "my undeniable good looks, my bad boy style, but you'll come around." he says, eyes sparkling with confidence. "They _all_ do."

"Cocky much?"

"Very much." he smirks, once again getting in her personal space.

"Damon." she warns. "Leave now."

"You can't always get what you want, sweetheart." he reminds, staying where he is.

"Yeah, you should know." she mutters under her breath, turning to leave again. But the next thing she knows, Damon is slamming her against some car, his hand tightly wrapped around her throat. "What was that?" he asks sweetly, his tone belying the darkening of his blue eyes.

Quinn doesn't respond - not that she could with Damon crushing her larynx. "I could rip your heart out without even thinking twice about it." he threatens in low voice.

She gasps slightly when he loosens his grip on her neck. "Then why don't you?" she challenges, brow raised up at him.

"What's the point when Stefan isn't here to watch?" he questions, head tilted to the side.

"You really need to get over the fact that Stefan made you turn and move on with your life, Damon, cause what you're doing now, it's just pathetic." she spits out, glaring. "Katherine is dead. You hate Stefan because you loved her and you want to torture him because you still do. But nothing you ever say or do is ever going to bring _her_ back."

Damon's grip on her tightens and her fingers dig into the back of his hand in response, trying to in vain to pry it away. "You really should watch what you say, Quinn."

"Quinn!"

The two of them sharply turn their head and Quinn mentally curses when Santana makes her way over to them, eyes set on kill. On the bright side Damon releases her from his chokehold and takes a step back.

"Is there a problem here?" Santana questions, eyeing Damon suspiciously.

"Nope," Damon says curtly, his lips popping on the 'p'. "Nothing to see here, you can leave."

"Yeah, no." Santana scoffs. "It looks like you were harassing my girl, Q."

"Santana this is Damon," Quinn reluctantly introduces, pushing herself away from the car she had been forced against. "Stefan's older brother."

"Stefan's brother, huh?" she asks, brow raised. "Well, _Damon_, you best back off my girl otherwise I will be forced to go all Lima Heights on you." she says, getting up in his face without hesitation.

"Santana." Quinn warns, quickly pulling her hot tempered friend away from Damon. "He's a vampire. He could-"

"I don't care." Santana promptly yanks her arm out of Quinn's grasp. "I'll still kick his ass."

"I'd watch what I'd say if I were you, Santana." Damon advises with a knowing glance. "I'm already in a foul mood thanks to this one." he says, jerking his head toward Quinn.

Santana rolls her eyes and scoffs. "Whatever." Turning to Quinn, she grabs onto the blonde's arm. "Come on, Q. We're already late for rehearsal as it is."

Quinn reluctantly allows Santana to lead her back towards the school.

"Have fun in glee club!" Damon calls after them in what is clearly a mocking tone before adding in a voice only Quinn could hear with her heightened sense of hearing, "I'd keep my friends close if I were you, Quinn."

Quinn glances over her shoulder at that remark only to see the parking lot empty, Damon no longer anywhere in sight.

—

"So what the hell is his deal?" Santana demands once the two of them are back within McKinley's halls. "I mean besides the fact that he's sexy as hell."

"And also an arrogant ass." Quinn quips.

"So basically he's Stefan before he got whipped by you." Santana smirks; Quinn glares over at her. "What? You know it's true."

When Quinn just keeps walking, Santana asks, "So how long has Damon been in town?"

"A few weeks but he refuses to leave." she answers, sighing.

"Why haven't you told us about him sooner?" Santana wonders. "Is that why you and Stefan have been acting so weird lately? I mean Stefan especially. He's ten times more protective of you these days."

"The last thing I wanted was for you and the others to get involved." Quinn responds. "And besides the only reason he's here is to torture Stefan. Stefan wants to kill him, literally."

"That's…drastic." Santana utters, surprised. Her brow furrows. "Isn't it?"

"That's what I said." she nods. "But Stefan's convinced it's the only way to protect me."

"So are you going to tell Stefan about your little encounter with Damon?"

"No way." she says quickly, furiously shaking her head. "As much as I dislike Damon, I don't want Stefan to kill him, which is exactly what he'll do if he finds out Damon threatened me."

Santana groans and stops dead in her tracks. "Don't tell me you got the hots for the other Salvatore now."

"Don't be ridiculous." Quinn makes a disgusted face at the very idea. "I just want Damon and Stefan to fix their relationship. Maybe help them to be the brothers that they once were and put all this animosity behind them before they decide to kill one another." They continue walking together. "But until that happens, if you ever come across Damon again, just stay as far away from him as possible. And don't ever invite him into your house."

"Do you think I should start carrying wooden stakes to school in the meantime?" Santana asks, only partially joking.

"I think that would be a wise thing to do." she says seriously, leading the way into the choir room.

"Well, on a lighter note…did you hear that Coach Sylvester totally tried to commit suicide?" Santana brings up casually, chuckling slightly.

Quinn has to do a double take. "What?"

Santana nods. "Yeah, she's been so depressed about losing regionals that she decided to kill herself. She tried to OD on Gummy bear vitamins. Didn't work, of course." she sighs, disappointed.

—

When Stefan pulls into the student parking lot to pick Quinn up from rehearsal, he's surprised to see Rachel sitting on the curb with her arms folded across her chest, pouting like a five-year old in timeout. Getting out of the car, he walks over to her, brow furrowed. "Rachel?"

Rachel lifts her gaze and exhales at the sight of him. "Hello, Stefan."

"What are you doing out here?" he asks, still frowning. He glances around. "Did practice finish early or something?" He double checks his phone to ensure he didn't have any missed calls or texts from Quinn.

Rachel shakes her head. "No, it's just the others were infuriating me to the point where I just stormed out."

"Why?" Stefan crouches down and takes a seat next to her.

Rachel sighs heavily before turning her body to regard him fully. "As you know, regionals are coming up and I've decided that if we want to win this year and beat the Warblers, we're going to need to do something that's never been done before: perform original songs."

Stefan nods, seeing the appeal in the idea. "That sounds like a good idea."

"Well I'm glad you think so. Everyone else is totally against it, well except for Finn." She shakes her head, frustrated. "They just don't see that it's our only sure fire way of winning. I've spent weeks trying to convince them otherwise but….Maybe if I actually had a song written up, maybe that would convince them, but I've been trying for weeks and I still haven't written anything worth a damn."

"Have you asked Quinn for help?" He glances over at her expectantly. "I mean she's written a song before."

Rachel's brow lifts. "She has? Is it any good?"

Stefan nods, slightly chuckling at how wide the brunette's eyes were getting at the prospect of having a composer for the group. "Yeah from what I heard it sounded amazing. And I'm not just saying that because she's my wife."

Rachel's eyes light up like the Fourth of July. "Do you think you can get me a copy of it?"

—

The following day Quinn's at her locker when suddenly Rachel rushes over to her, her high energy reminding Quinn of that Vitamin D incident last year. "Quinn, you are brilliant!" the smaller girl exclaims loudly, all but skipping over to her.

Quinn looks back at her, utterly confused. "Huh?"

Rachel skids to a halt and waves around what looks to be sheet music back and forth in front of her face. It takes a few waves before Quinn realizes what she had in her hands was the sheet music to _her _song.

She snatches the papers out of Rachel's hand without warning. "How did you get this?" she demands.

"Stefan gave it to me." Rachel quickly explains. "Quinn, that song is amazing! Who knew you were such an amazing songwriter! Brilliant! That's what you are, Quinn Fabray!" she praises, beaming brightly. "And everyone else agrees. I talked to Mr. Schue and the rest of glee, and we all agreed that your song _has_ to be featured at regionals. The Warblers won't know what hit them! We might as well start packing for New York right now!" She does a giddy little twirl that would have made Quinn chuckle had she not been so upset.

"Um where was I when this meeting happened?" she asks, brow furrowed.

"Does it matter? You're going to be singing _your_ original song at regionals!" Rachel finally stops, noticing Quinn's less than pleased expression, and frowns. "Wait, why aren't you happy?"

"Nobody was meant to hear this song!" Quinn responds. "It was just something I wrote for me and _only_ me. The last thing I wanted was for everyone to hear it. It was embarrassing enough that Stefan had heard it…"

"Quinn, this is an amazing song!" Rachel assures. "You have no reason, and I mean, _no_ reason to be ashamed of it. Quinn, if we have this song on our set list, the others will have more confidence about us doing original songs! And then we would only have to come up with a song for a group number." Quinn can't help but sigh when Rachel gives her a puppy dog pout "Please?"

Sighing to herself, she nods. "Fine." she concedes. "We can use it for regionals but _you're_ going to sing it." she says, handing back the music. "You have the stronger voice and we'll need it to beat the Warblers."

Rachel shakes her head and pushes the music back at her. "No. It's _your_ song. You need to sing it. I could never perform it as well as you because I wouldn't have the right emotion to pour into it. Quinn, this is your song, _you_ need to sing it."

Quinn just blinks, surprised that Rachel Berry was actually passing up the opportunity to sing a solo. "So will you do it?" Rachel asks hopefully.

"I've never sung a solo in front of you guys, let alone in an auditorium full of people!" Quinn exclaims, shaking her head. "What if I'm terrible?"

"You performed at sectionals and were amazing!" Rachel reminds.

"That's entirely different. I was singing with Sam and the rest of you guys were backing us up. If I sing this it will just be me and me alone."

Without warning, Rachel grasps onto her shoulders and gives her a firm shake. "Quinn, you can do this. I just know it." she says firmly. "If you want me to help you practice, then I will. Every day if needed."

Quinn smiles in spite of herself at Rachel's offer. "Thanks, Rach."

"So you'll do it?"

"I'll do it." she nods.

Rachel squeals and throws her arms around Quinn, enveloping her into a surprisingly strong hug. "You won't regret this." she promises, pulling back after a few seconds. "I'll make sure of it. I'll start organizing a rehearsal schedule for us and…" After a few minutes Quinn kind of loses track of Rachel's rambling and once she spots Stefan walking down the hallway towards them, quickly interjects. "Um, Rachel, we'll talk more about this later, okay?"

Rachel pauses, then after a glance behind her, nods, having put two and two together. "Okay, I'll email you an itinerary as soon as possible." she says promptly before taking off in the other direction.

"Hey you." Stefan greets, walking up to her.

"Hey." she greets back with a quick kiss.

Stefan gestures behind him, to Rachel's retreating form. "So what was she so bubbly about?" he wonders curiously.

"Why did you give Rachel _my_ song without my permission?" Quinn asks instead, looking up at him expectantly.

"She needed an original song and you had one - I didn't think you'd have a problem with it." Noticing the look she was giving him, he adds, "But I take it that you do?"

"I just wish you would've asked me first before taking something personal of mine and giving it away like that." she sighs. "You know how I reacted when you saw it."

"I'm sorry, Quinn." he says sincerely, shaking his head. "I wasn't thinking, I was just trying to help you guys. I know how much you want to win."

"It's okay." she reassures, touching his arm. "Just next time, _ask me_, alright?"

Stefan nods, leaning down and kissing her softly. "Promise."

"So, what's up with you?" she asks conversationally when they pull apart.

"Well actually I've been thinking, seeing as how Damon has yet to resurface," Quinn purses her lips, having still managed to keep her encounter with Damon on the down low. "I figured that it's bound to happen soon enough so we are going to need something to protect everyone, especially glee club, as a precaution."

Quinn looks up at him curiously. "Like what?"

"That witch in Chicago, the one who made your daylight ring, she has a vast supply of vervain." she explains. "It will protect everyone from compulsion and weaken Damon if he tries to fed on anyone who's ingested it."

Quinn perks up, nodding her head. "That's great."

Stefan agrees. "So I figured we'd leave right away, that way-"

Quinn stops him right there. "Wait, _we_?"

"Yeah, you're coming with me." he responds, brow furrowing in confusion.

"And leave my friends defenseless against Damon?" she inquires, brow raised. She shakes her head. No way, Stefan."

"He could _kill_ you, Quinn." Stefan reminds. "He's a lot older and stronger than you are. There's no way I'm leaving you here unprotected."

"And there's no way I'm leaving my friends unprotected." she retorts, unyielding in her decision.

"Quinn-"

"Stefan, I'll be fine." she sighs, resting her hands on his chest. "And besides, if Damon tries anything, it's not like I don't have a stake hidden in my purse." she say that last part quietly, a group of students passing them by.

"But Quinn-"

"Stefan," she starts again calmly, doing her best to keep this from turning into another argument. "Please? Can you just trust me on this?"

Stefan's jaw tightens for a moment before he relents with a sigh. "Okay, fine. You can stay." She smiles triumphantly and kisses his cheek. "I'll leave as soon as school ends." he continues. "I'll take me five or six hours to get there and then another five or six to get back. I should be back by tomorrow morning."

Quinn nods. "I think I can manage without you for a few hours." she says with a small smile.

"Just be safe, alright?" Stefan says softly, touching his forehead against hers. "Stay at home as much as you can, that way Damon won't be able to hurt you."

Quinn nodded and gently kissed his lips, "I will. Don't you worry." she promises, gently kissing his lips.

—

Quinn's in the middle of doing her pre-calculus homework later that night when her phone starts to ring. Without diverting her attention from the equation she was working on, she reaches for her phone and presses it to her ear, "Hello?"

"Q, It's Santana."

Quinn boxes the answer on her paper and sets her pencil down, giving the call her full attention. "Hey, Santana, what's up?"

"Brittany wouldn't happen to be over at your house, would she?" Santana asks, the worry evident in her voice though Quinn could tell she was trying to mask it.

Her brow furrows. "No…why? Is something wrong?"

"I can't find her, Quinn." Santana admits. "She's not at her house, she's not answering her cell, I've called everyone else in glee and they haven't seen her. I'm freakin' out here…"

"Okay, okay." Quinn slides off the counter stool, already moving to grab her coat. "Have you checked the park? She's always running around in the playground. Or what about Breadstix or the Lima Bean?"

Santana sighs in frustration. "Quinn, I looked _everywhere. _All the usual places and even the unusual places. I can't find her anywhere! I swear I turn my back on that girl for five seconds and she just disappears…"

As Santana proceeds to rant in Spanish, Quinn freezes, a horrible thought coming to mind.

"_I'd keep my friends close if I were you." _Damon had said. Crap.

"Quinn? You still there?" Santana's voice comes, breaking Quinn from her thoughts.

She clears her throat and nods. "Yeah, I'm here. Look, pick me up and I'll help you look for her."

—

"I am going to stake that son of a bitch the moment I see him!" Santana practically shouts in response to Quinn telling her about what Damon had said.

"We don't even know where he is." Quinn reminds, briefly glancing the speedometer to see that the Latina was driving well past 80 mph. "And who knows I could be wrong, he might not have Brittany. San, slow down, you don't want to get pulled over by the cops now do you?"

Santana glances back at her, scoffing. "That's the least of my worries, Q. Besides if we do, you can just compel the cop and we'll be on our way."

Quinn shoots her a disapproving look. "I'm not compelling anyone, Santana. You know I don't do that."

Santana turns her attention back to the road and swears. "How the hell are we going to find her, Q? She could be anywhere."

"We'll find her, Santana. Don't worry." she sighs, glancing around at the dark streets passing them by.

"You should call Stefan. Maybe he'll have some ideas where Damon would be."

Quinn shakes her head. "He's off getting vervain. If I call him, he'll just come thundering back and we need vervain for all of you guys."

"What's vervain again?" Santana asks, brow furrowed.

"This herb that protects humans from a vampire's compulsion. It's also lethal to vampires. If we touch it it'll burn our skin and if we accidentally ingest it, well, it's pretty painful…from what Stefan tells me at least." she explains. Noticing the only bar in town coming into view, a thought occurred to her. "Pull over here." She tells Santana, pointing to the bar off the side of the street.

Santana frowns skeptically, but does so nevertheless. "Uh why? Don't tell me tonight's the night you want to have your first taste of alcohol."

Quinn rolls her eyes. "Stefan's mentioned before that Damon loves his alcohol and where does one get alcohol, Santana?" she questions, brow raised.

"Don't get smart, Q." Santana glares, her eyes narrowed.

Quinn quickly unbuckles her seatbelt when Santana pulls into the closest parking spot. "You stay here, I'll be right back."

"No way, I'm coming with you." Santana unbuckles her seatbelt as well, ignoring Quinn's attempt to stop her.

"Santana, just stay here." she pleads. "Call Brittany again, here." Quinn tosses Santana her phone. "Try my phone. Maybe she'll answer."

Santana shakes her head, a protest already on the tip of her tongue, before Quinn sharply interjects. "Santana don't make me compel you." she sighs.

Santana crosses her arms over her chest. "You wouldn't."

Quinn arches her brow. "Try me." she dares.

A heated staredown ensues before Santana finally caves. "Fine, go on." she grumbles, slouching in her seat.

Quinn quickly gets out of the car and makes her way into the bar. Unsurprisingly the place is about as seedy as it looks on the outside. Grimacing to herself, she scans the area while trying to avoid eye-contact with anyone. To her dismay Damon is nowhere is sight.

But despite this she continues toward the bar to ask just in case. She stops at the bar and looks to the bartender expectantly. "Excuse me, has a man by the name of Damon Salvatore been here, do you know?"

The bartender shakes his head. "Nope. Sorry."

"Damon Salvatore?" a voice questions. "Haven't heard that name in a while."

Quinn turns her head to the girl sitting beside her at the bar. "How do you know him?" she asks curiously, finding it hard to believe it was a coincidence that some random girl here in Lima knew Damon.

The blonde looks back at Quinn and makes a face. "Don't tell me you're dating that ass cause you could do so much better than him."

Quinn nearly gags at the very idea. "Damon Salvatore is my unfortunately my brother-in-law." she explains, shaking her head.

The other blonde lifts one brow, her glass hovering inches from her lips. "So wait, you're Stefan Salvatore's…wife?" she questions, brow furrowed.

Quinn nods, eyeing her suspiciously. "Yeah. How do you know Stefan?"

The blonde just smirks and takes a sip of her drink. "He tried to feed on me _a long time ago._" She finishes off her drink before setting her glass down and glancing back at Quinn. "The name's Alexia Branson." she smiles. "But you can call me Lexi."


	17. Nightmare on Elm Street

"The name's Alexia Branson. But you can call me Lexi."

Quinn takes the seat next to Lexi, intrigued. "So you said that Stefan tried to feed on you?"

Lexi nods. "But in his defense he was only a few weeks into his _new_ life. He was a little blood crazed to say the least." she chuckles. "But I take it that he's not like that anymore." she says, noticing Quinn's wedding band.

"Yeah. He stopped being a ripper awhile ago."

Lexi smiles. "Good for him. So did he turn you?" she asks curiously.

"I was dying of Leukemia." Quinn explains, nodding.

"How tragically romantic." Lexi says offhandedly, snapping her fingers, indicating to the bartender that she wanted another drink. "So what's your name?"

"Quinn Fabray, err… Salvatore." Quinn shakes her head when the bartender comes by with Lexi's drink and asks if he can get her anything. She waits for him to get out of hearing range before asking Lexi quietly, "So how did you know I was a vampire?"

Lexi first takes a sip of her drink before answering. "When you get to be my age, it's a lot easier sensing when you're in the presence of another vampire." she explains. "So why are you looking for Damon?"

"I believe he kidnapped my friend." Quinn sighs. "He just arrived in town and made it clear that he wants to make Stefan's live miserable. I came here, hoping to find him, but as you see, he's not here."

Lexi glances around the bar before settling her gaze back on Quinn. "And where's Stefan?"

"Out of town getting vervain to protect the ones we care about." she answers. "You wouldn't happened to see Damon anywhere around town have you?".

Lexi shakes her head, taking another sip. "And if I did, I would do my best to stay clear of that asshole. He is such a douche."

"Agreed." Quinn nods. But unfortunately, I can't stop until I find my friend."

"Well I'll help you look if you want." Lexi offers, shrugging.

"Really?" she asks, surprised.

Lexi nods, downing the rest of her drink. "Why not? It's not like I've got anything better to do. Could be fun."

"Damon's pretty old." Quinn feels the need to warn "And very strong."

Lexi laughs outright, unintimidated. "Well I'm older and _much_ stronger. I'd have no trouble putting that kid in his place." she says confidently.

Quinn looks at her questionably. "How old are you, exactly?"

"Three hundred and fifty years young." Lexi smirks, batting her eyelashes. "I look amazing don't I?" Chuckling, Quinn nods.

"How old are you?" Lexi asks in turn, raising her brow.

"Seventeen." Quinn replies. "Stefan barely turned me a few weeks ago."

"Aw so you're just a baby vamp." Lexi grins cheekily, reaching over and playfully nudging Quinn's chin. "That's adorable."

Just then the bar doors burst open, revealing a really peeved Santana. Ignoring the wolf whistles her presence brought on, Santana locks onto Quinn and strides over to the bar, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What the hell, Q? Brittany's missing and you're having making small talk?" she scoffs, shaking her head. "If you weren't a you-know-what who could to some who could do some serious damage to my hotness, I'd kick your ass from here to Cincinnati!"

"Take it easy, Santana." Quinn says calmly, trying not to roll her eyes at the Latina's dramatics.

"Don't tell me to take it easy, Q!" Santana snaps. "And who the hell is this bimbo?" she demands, briefly glancing at Lexi. "Don't tell me you've realized you play for the other team and are looking for a hookup. You can do better than her, Q."

Lexi arches her eyebrow at Santana's candor. "You better watch yourself, kiddo. I'll kick your ass." she says with a pointed finger. Santana's just about to retaliate before Quinn stops her.

"Santana, this is Lexi." She gestures to the older blonder. "She's a vampire."

Santana rolls her eyes. "Jesus. What is it with all these vampires coming out of the woodwork all of a sudden?" she demands rather loudly.

"Could you be any louder?" Lexi glares, her gaze darting around to the rest of the bar to ensure no one was paying attention to their conversation.

"Do not get me started." Santana retorts, throwing a glare right back at her.

"Guys can we please not do this?" Quinn pleads, looking between the two girls.

Lexi rolls her eyes and shrugs it off. "Whatever."

Santana scoffs and crosses her arms, "Anyways." The Latina turns to Quinn and pulls her up out of her seat. "Say good-bye to your little vamp friend, Q. We have to find Brittany, _remember?_"

Quinn yanks her arm out of Santana's grasp, throwing a glare the other girl's way. "Yes, I _remember_. And luckily for us, Lexi agreed to help us out. That is if she wasn't insulted enough by your bimbo comment to change her mind."

"It was a joke, Q." Santana sighs, exasperated.

"Not a very clever one." Lexi mutters, snorting a laugh.

"You know what-"

Thanks to her fast reflexes, Quinn's able to grab onto Santana before the Latina takes the razors out of her hair (the ones she supposedly keeps there) and goes after Lexi with them.

"Feisty one isn't she?" Lexi chuckles, finding Santana more amusing than anything. She slips out of her seat and grabs her purse off the bar counter.

"You have no idea." Quinn sighs, shaking her head and releasing Santana.

"So how the hell can you help us?" Santana demands rounding on Lexi. "Do you know where Damon is?"

Lexi shakes her head. "No, but I have a few ideas. I mean, knowing Damon, he probably wants you to find him. He wouldn't kill your friend if you weren't present to witness it. That wouldn't be any fun for him."

"So where would he be?" she questions, glancing back at Quinn. "McKinley?"

Quinn thinks about for a second before shaking her head skeptically. "That would be too easy."

"Know of any warehouses around town?" Lexi asks, looking between them both.

Santana and Quinn share a look. "Isn't there one off of Elm?" Quinn thinks aloud, brow slightly furrowed.

Santana nods, thinking it over. "I think so. It's like for a box factory or something, right?"

"We should start there." Lexi states, plucking a few bills from her clutch to leave as a tip.

Quinn nods. "Okay." Noticing Santana's hesitation, she sighs heavily, "Oh come on Santana, it's a start. It's not like you have any better ideas. So can we just get going?" she asks, brow arched.

Santana grumbles something unintelligible that sounds vaguely like "Fine."

—

The three girls quickly pile into Santana's car, with Quinn taking to the passenger seat while Lexi kicked it in the back. "So how do you know Damon and Stefan?" Santana asks Lexi through the rearview mirror. "Did you fuck 'em?" Quinn throws her a glare which she promptly ignores.

"Hardly." Lexi scoffs. "I met Stefan first and then met Damon through him."

"So how'd you meet Stefan?"

"I met him in his hometown of Mystic Falls, _way_ back in the day." Lexi starts, chuckling lightly. "I had heard that it was a good place for vampires to go - it was wartime back then so it was a little easier for vampires to feed inconspicuously - anyways, to make a long story somewhat short, Stefan being a newbie vamp, mistook me for a human, tried to feed on me - I, of course, put him in his place - and we got to talking, he takes me home with him-" Noticing the look on Quinn's face she quickly clarifies, ""Don't worry, Quinn, not in _that_ way. I only went with him because dawn was approaching and I didn't have a nifty daylight ring like he does." Quinn relaxes slightly.

"So yeah, I realized he was a ripper, tried to help him out, he was a stubborn ass, so I gave up on trying to help him and left. Kind of wished I hadn't though." she confesses quietly. "I mean especially after hearing about his reign of terror over the years. It seemed to just get worse and worse but I guess he didn't need me after all. He eventually found the light." She smiles over at Quinn, who can't help but smile in return. Santana just pretends to gag.

"So how much farther is this warehouse?" Lexi questions, idly glancing out the tinted window on her left.

"Like five more minutes, it shouldn't take long." Quinn replies.

Lexi pushes herself upright and taps at the window. "Well, let me out here."

Santana and Quinn both glance at her, frowning. "Why?"

"If there's anything Damon hates more, it's a surprise." Lexi explains. "He'll hear you pull up and know that you've come to rescue your friend. He'll be expecting that, but I highly doubt he even knows I'm in town. So I make my entrance, he shits his pants, I rough him up a little, you get your friend to safety, easy as one, two, three." Lexi leans back and wipes her hands together, smiling satisfactorily.

After sharing another glance with Quinn, Santana reluctantly pulls over to the side of the road where Lexi quickly hops out. "See ya in a few." she waves.

"Wait, how will you know when to make your entrance?" Santana calls back, before the blonde can close the door behind her.

Rolling her eyes, Lexi taps at her ear. "I'll be listening, honey."

Santana lunges forward despite the confines of her seatbelt. "You know what…" Before she can even finish her threat, Lexi blurs out of sight. Santana swears and turns back around in her seat. "I hate her." she tells Quinn.

Quinn shakes her head and chuckles. "You hate everyone."

—

"This looks like the type of place where serial killers hang out." Santana comments as she and Quinn walk up to the old warehouse on the outskirts of town.

"Yeah, I feel like we're about to walk into a horrible horror movie." Quinn agrees, reluctantly leading the way.

Sensing her uncertainty, Santana glances back at the blonde, confused. "What've you got to be afraid of? You're a vampire, remember?"

"Compared to Lexi and Damon I'm just a baby vampire who is nowhere _near_ as strong as they are." she sighs. "It's not like I could do much damage, even if I wanted to."

"Well see if you could do some damage to this lock." Santana says, jiggling the lock on the door.

Quinn wraps her hand around the rusted lock and effortlessly pulls it from the door. Santana turns to her and smirks. "See, you're not _completely_ useless."

Quinn playfully glares at her. "Ha. Ha. Hilarious." she mocks, rolling her eyes.

"I know I am." she chuckles, stepping aside as Quinn pulls the door open. "Vampires first." she gestures.

Sighing, Quinn steps inside with Santana on her heels. She stops abruptly though, causing the Latina to bump into her. "What the hell, Q?"

"I smell blood," she says quietly, trying to scan the area for the source. "Should we split up?" she inquires, looking around. "This place is pretty big."

"Hell, no!" Santana whispers hastily, interlocking her arm with Quinn's, holding on tightly to her.

Quinn has to fight the urge to laugh. "Is Santana Lopez actually _scared?_" she teases, grinning.

Santana immediately pushes Quinn away. "As if." she scoffs. "I'm not scared of anything."

Quinn chuckles, clearly able to hear the other girl's heart beating about a mile a minute. "Whatever you say, Santana." She continues walking through the warehouse, following the scent of blood that seemed to get stronger with every step she took.

"You think Damon's here?" Santana whispers under her breath.

Quinn shrugs, keeping an eye out for any sign of Brittany or Damon. "I'm not sure, but I think he most likely _was_ here."

Right on cue the lights of the place start flickering on and off. Santana squeals like a girl at this and latches onto Quinn like Scooby-Doo would do to Shaggy. "Take it easy, San." Quinn glares, shrugging the other girl off. "They're just broken lights."

"Flickering lights always happen just before the psychopath makes his entrance." Santana mutters. "Don't you know anything about horror films?"

"Maybe it's just Lexi trying to scare us." Quinn suggests, decidedly allowing Santana to hold onto her arm.

"If it's Damon, I will kill him." Santana hisses, throwing a glare up at the ceiling. If it was Damon, and he was here, he was probably getting a kick out of this, Quinn thinks to herself.

"Quinn!"

Distracted from her thoughts, Quinn looks around to find that Santana had disappeared. "Santana?" she calls out.

"Over here!"

Quinn quickly follows the other girl's voice and turns the corner. She halts at the sight she's met with, her stomach all but dropping down to her feet. There Brittany was, lying on the floor in front of her, bleeding heavily from her neck. Horrified, she takes a step back. She swallows hard, the scent of Brittany's blood infiltrating her senses and making her throat burn.

"Thank God she's alive." Santana says breathlessly having just spent the last couple seconds checking the blonde for a pulse.

Overwhelmed by the blood, Quinn stepped back even further, fearful of what might happen if she tried to move toward her bleeding friend. The last thing she wanted was to attack her, but after remembering that her blood could heal Brittany's wound, she does all that she can to push her thirst aside.

She takes a cautious step forward but stops at the sound of something whooshing past her. She quickly spins around, only to see that no one was behind her. "Damon?" she questions, her eyes narrowed. Her voice echoes off the walls but garners no response.

Santana pushes herself off the floor, sans her jacket which was now being used to contain Brittany's bleeding. She looks around at the open space and yells, "Yeah, come out and face us, you spineless son of a bitch!"

"Not a smart thing to say to a vampire who could kill you." Quinn quietly reminds, walking over to her.

"Yeah, I'd listen to blondie, if I were you, Santana."

Santana and Quinn both whip around, eyes darting around the seemingly empty warehouse with trepidation.

Damon blows a short whistle and Quinn and Santana both glance upward to find him standing on one of the rafters. Right off the bat Quinn notices Brittany's dried blood stained on the collar of his shirt.

He smiles smugly down at them and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. "You know for a vampire, you took an awfully long time to find me. I was starting to get bored." he says directly to Quinn.

Quinn glares up at him. "I had no idea where you were it's not like you gave me a clue."

Damon jumps down from the rafter and scoffs. "Well, duh, what did you expect me to do draw you a freakin' map? Come on now that would've been way too easy."

"So what happens now, Damon?" Quinn inquires, her arms crossing over her chest. "Huh? You've kidnapped Brittany, fed on her, and gave us a good scare…now what?"

He smiles jovially. "Simple. Now I attack Santana." He lunges for Santana before Quinn can even react, sinking his fangs deep into her neck. Quickly though she's able to push Damon off Santana, only to be slammed into the ground and pinned down by him. She struggles against him with all her strength but he's able to easily overpower her. "Has anyone told you how incredibly sexy you are when you're angry? Oh right, that would be me." he smirks.

Quinn's fangs extend out from her gums of their own volition. "Get off of me before I-"

He snorts, shutting down her threat before she can even get it out. "Before you want, huh? Hate to break it to you little lady but you're in no position to be making threats."

"I may not be." she says raggedly, still fighting against Damon's grasp. "But she is."

Frowning, Damon glances over his shoulder and before he knows it, he's being shoved into one of the opposing walls. His eyes widen in surprise. "Lexi?"

Lexi smiles sweetly, her hand wrapped around his throat, nails piercing his skin like little knives. "Hello, Damon."

"What an unexpected surprise." he croaks, his hand blindly going to her wrist.

Lexi scoffs. "Unexpected surprise?" she repeats, her eyebrow quirked. "I think the wrong brother went back to high school."

"What the hell are you doing here?" he groans, wincing against her bone crushing grip.

"I could ask you the same question." she retorts, brow raised.

"I'd tell you but you're currently cutting off my oxygen supply." he wheezes.

Lexi rolls her eyes and reluctantly releases him from her grasp. He staggers for a moment, catching his breath. "God, I have _not_ missed you."

"Likewise, Damon." she beams before breaking his nose with a sickening crunch.

Quinn pushes herself off the floor and makes her way over to Santana and Brittany. "Are you alright?" Santana asks her, wincing slightly as she held onto her neck with her hand.

Quinn nods quickly, biting down onto her own wrist. "Here." She offers it up to Santana. "My blood will heal you."

Santana looks at her wrist skeptically. "I don't know, Q…"

"Your wound will be gone in minutes." she promises though she understands the Latina's hesitation.

Santana bites down on her lip before reluctantly taking Quinn's wrist and bringing it up to her lips. She drinks for a few seconds before pushing her arm away, unable to drink anymore.

"Just be sure to keep it down." Quinn advises, noticing how quickly Santana had paled as she swallowed her blood down.

"No offense, Q, but that was the most disgusting thing I've ever done. And I've done some pretty freaky shit…"

Quinn just shakes her head and moves onto to Brittany. She carefully lifts her head off the ground and places it on her lap before forcing her to drink down some of her blood. Quinn pulls her wrist away after a few seconds, already seeing it start to take effect on Brittany's wound.

Santana sees this and glances down at her own neck which was free of injury. "So we're not going to be…" she checks, glancing back at Quinn.

She shakes her head. "You'd have to die with vampire blood in your system for that to happen. So I'll just have to keep an eye on you two for the next 24 hours until my blood passes through your system…to ensure nothing happens."

Santana nods and then glances at Brittany, who was stirring awake. "Hey, she's waking up."

Quinn looks down in time to see Brittany's eyes fluttering open. The blonde blinks a few times before groaning, a hand slowly coming up to rest against her head. "Did I get roofied?"

Quinn smiles weakly and shakes her head. "Not exactly, Brittany."

Lexi glances back at Damon, who's in the process of rebreaking his nose into place. "You're pretty pathetic, Damon. You really have nothing better to do than to go after high school cheerleaders?" she questions, arms crossed.

"Hey I'm just visiting my baby brother, making his life miserable…the usual." He looks between Quinn and Lexi, still confused. "And how do you two know each other exactly?" he wonders.

"We just met." Lexi explains. "And a good thing too. It'll be fun beating the crap out of you, Damon." Lexi smirks, stepping forward.

"Why are you so mean to me?"

Lexi raises her brow, giving him that 'are you serious?' look. "Uh, have you met you? You're not a nice person."

Damon rolls his eyes. "Well, that's because I'm a vampire."

"But you're only the bad parts." she points out.

"Well, then, teach me to be good." he smirks, taking a few steps closer to her.

Without warning Lexi shoves her hand through Damon's chest, her hand wrapping around his heart. "Leave these guys alone, Damon." she growls, twisting her hand inside of his chest for emphasis. "Because if you don't I will hurt you. And you know I will."

"Yeah, I know." he manages to choke out.

Lexi seems unconvinced. "Yeah, I don't think you do." She pulls harder on his heart. "I will have no problem ripping your heart from your chest and using it to play hacky sack, Damon. So I advise you to watch who you pick on around here." She releases her grip on his heart and retracts her arm, letting Damon slump down to the floor with a groan.

Lexi wipes his blood off her hands and steps back to inspect the damage she'd inflicted, pleased to see that he was now lying in a rapidly growing pool of his own blood. Damon staggers to get up back, letting out guttural groans as he slowly pushes himself back onto his feet. Quinn watches curiously as he lifts both his (bloody) hands up in surrender. "You win this round." he rasps, spluttering a bit of his own blood.

Santana and Quinn help Brittany off the floor and each throw an arm over their shoulder to prop her up. Lexi's eyes narrow. "There aren't going to be anymore rounds, Damon. Not if you try and attack another innocent person."

Damon suddenly blurs towards Quinn and grabs her from behind, one arm pressed against her throat, now having her in a headlock. "Take one step, Lexi, and I'll rip her head clean off." he warns.

Lexi's gaze darkens. "Damon, if you do…"

Damon's gaze falls back to Quinn. He presses his nose against her neck and inhales her scent deeply, making her to shudder. "I just like watching you squirm, it's so much fun." he chuckles darkly to himself before releasing her.

Quinn turns to look at him questionably. "Why did you…?"

He sighs. "Quinn, I'm not going to kill you….at least not when Stefan's not here to watch. That would ruin my fun. But seeing as how you brought _her_ here." He gestures back to Lexi. "And seeing as how _she_ nearly ripped my heart out…well… let's just say it's lights out for you. Nighty, nighty, Quinn."

All it takes is one 'snap' for Quinn's world to fade to black.

—

When Quinn regains consciousness, she's instantly startled by the two faces hovering over her. "Thank God, Q." Santana sighs, relieved. "You were this close to giving me and Britt a heart attack!" Her and Brittany back up as Quinn slowly rises into a sitting position.

"What happened?" she asks groggily, hand coming up to her neck. Looking around, she realizes she was back at home on the living room couch. "Where's Lexi?" she frowns, noting the girl's absence.

"Waiting out on the front porch!" Quinn hears her yell from nearby.

Without a second thought she pushes herself off the couch and quickly walks over to the door. "We tried inviting her in but it wouldn't work." Santana explains, following her down the hallway.

"That's because only the owner of the house can invite vampires inside." Quinn replies breathlessly, turning to find Lexi leaning against the doorway. "Sorry, Lexi, come on in."

Lexi pushes herself upright and steps through the threshold. "It's about time you woke up." She closes the door behind her. "I was getting bored waiting."

"Sorry." Quinn apologizes again, leading everyone back into the living room. "Now what happened exactly?"

Lexi plops herself down on the couch with a sigh. "Damon snapped your neck. Don't worry, it's no biggie, it just renders you unconscious for a few hours. Which is what I tried to tell these two." she says, jerking her thumb at Brittany and Santana. "But do they listen?"

Quinn gingerly touches the side of her neck and was thankful she was able to move it around normally. Not that she had any serious worries. But still. "So where is Damon?"

"Ran off like the coward that he is." Lexi retorts, lifting her feet up to rest on the coffee table in front of her.

"You said I was unconscious for a few hours?" Quinn repeats. She turns her head, a thought occurring to her. "Stefan didn't come home already, did he?"

Santana shakes her head and tosses Quinn her cell phone. "No but he did call. We figured it would be best if we just ignored it." she shrugs, plopping down on the loveseat. She glances back at Quinn expectantly "You got any food? I'm starved."

—

A few hours pass and while Santana and Brittany slept on the couch (Quinn was making them spend the night - she wanted to keep a close eye on them until her blood passed through their systems) she was getting to know Lexi a little better.

Together they sat on the floor by the fireplace, causally drinking from blood bags through a straw. "I'm surprised you drink human blood." Lexi comments.

Quinn lifts her gaze and frowns. "Why's that?"

Lexi shrugs, idly fiddling with her straw. "You just seem like one of those self righteous vamps who don't believe in feeding on human blood."

"Stefan did try to get me to drink animal blood but truthfully it just…" she drifts off, wrinkling her nose distastefully.

"Yeah, it sucks. I know. I tried doing the whole animal diet but I only lasted three weeks. To me, being on animal blood was like constantly PMSing. I was super irritable." Lexi says with a chuckle.

"So what brings you to Ohio?" Quinn wonders, setting down her empty blood bag on the coffee table. "Surely not the sights."

Lexi reaches behind her and grabs a pillow off of the chair she was leaning against and tucks it behind her. "No I'm just passing through…on my way to New York, actually."

Quinn nods and leans back the loveseat Santana and Brittany were curled up on. "Any specific reason?"

Lexi's smiles broadly and raises her fist in the air and drags it down. "I've got tickets to see Bon Jovi at the Garden."

Quinn chuckles. "Sounds like a lot of fun."

Lexi smiles fondly. "Yeah, it always is."

Quinn raises a brow. "You've been before?"

Lexi nods. "Back in the '80's. That was a crazy night. I ended up making with Jon Bon Jovi. It was pretty epic." she grins.

Quinn's eyes light up, shocked. "No way."

Lexi solemnly holds up her right hand, stifling a chuckle. "I swear to God I did. I do a lot of crazy stuff when I'm hammered."

"Everybody does don't they?" Quinn laughs. "You know Stefan mentioned that he once saw Bon Jovi in concert too."

"Yeah I know we were at the same concert. Although I was _this_ close to kicking his ass. He kept feeding on poor unsuspecting girls during _every_ single song. Kind of made it hard to enjoy the show…but I managed." she says, grinning cheekily. "I actually ended up meeting the love of my life the next day."

Quinn pulls her legs up to rest against her chin. "Really?"

Lexi shakes her head and crawls over to Quinn, sitting down beside her. She pulls out her phone from her pocket and hands it over to her, enabling Quinn to see her screensaver which was a picture of Lexi and a handsome young man. "His name is Lee." she says proudly. "Cute isn't he?"

"Very." Quinn agrees, chuckling lightly. She hands Lexi her phone back to her.

"Yeah I met him at this party the day after the concert." she smiles back at the photo for a little longer before pocketing it.

"So he's a vampire?"

"Yeah, Stefan's not the only one to turn his soulmate into a vampire." she responds, nodding.

"Did you know right away, I mean, that he was the one?" Quinn asks out of curiosity.

"Yeah, I did. Although I'm not sure if _he_ did," she laughs, shrugging. "But I knew. I definitely knew."

"How did he take it when you told him?" Quinn questions.

"The usual: denial, hurt, anger, et cetera…" Noticing the look on Quinn's face, she remarks, "I take it you went through a similar process when Stefan told you?"

Quinn shakes her head, sighing. "To say the least, yes. But at the end of the day…"

"Love conquered all." Lexi finishes for her, smiling slightly.

Quinn leans back against the loveseat. "Yeah."

Lexi nods agreeingly. "Yeah, when it's real like that, you just can't walk away from it."

They fall into a pregnant silence for a few moments before Lexi breaks it. "Hey can I get another one of these?" she asks, lifting up the now empty blood bag.

Quinn nods, straightening up and pointing down the hall. "Sure, downstairs in the basement, there's a fridge. Help yourself." Lexi pushes herself off the floor with a nod and disappears around the corner.

As soon as Lexi was out of sight, Quinn pulls out her phone to call Stefan, knowing he was bound to be home soon, but just as she was about press the call button on her phone, she picks up on the sound of his car pulling up in the driveway. Smiling to herself, she gets to her feet and greets him at the door. "Hey you."

He meets her with a broad smile and drops the duffel bag he had been carrying, chuckling when she hops into his embrace. "I take it you missed me?"

"You have no idea." she murmurs, showering his face in small kisses. She really hated being away from him.

He sets her back down on her feet before kissing her passionately. She eagerly returns the favor but after a few moments, pulls away breathlessly. "Easy, tiger." she giggles.

Smirking, he takes her hands in his. "What do you say we…" His train of thought stops upon seeing her hands. "What the…"

Realizing for the first time that her hands were caked with dried blood, presumably Brittany's, she quickly takes her hands out of Stefan's grasp. "What happened?"

She bites her lip hesitantly while Stefan stares at her expectantly, silently demanding an answer.

Sighing, she reluctantly tells him, "Well Damon kind of kidnapped Brittany."

Stefan's eyes widen. "What?"

She hastily presses a finger to his lips. "Shh…Brittany and Santana are asleep on the couch."

He sharply pushes her finger away. "What happened, Quinn?"

"He bit her but don't worry, I gave her some of my blood and she's fine. Everything's good now…did you get the vervain?"

Stefan nods curtly, lightly kicking the duffel bag by his feet. "You should've called me, Quinn." he says seriously.

"I know and I'm sorry, but I handled it." she responds, raising her shoulders briefly.

"Quinn, he could have killed you!"

"But he didn't. I'm right here, Stefan. I'm fine" she says softly, cupping his face in her hands, trying to get him to calm down.

Stefan shakes his head, jaw terse. "I swear, if he ever does something like this ever again-"

"Hey, take it easy. I highly doubt he'll try anything. I mean, Lexi nearly ripped his heart out as a threat and I don't think-"

Stefan's brow furrows. "Lexi?" he questions.

"Yeah, Lexi." Quinn points behind him and Stefan turns around to find the blonde vampire standing behind him.

"Remember me?" Lexi wonders, stepping forward hesitantly. "You tried to feed on me…I kicked your ass."

Stefan half smiles. "Right, Alexia Branson. It's been a long time.".

"Still as handsome as ever." Lexi beams. "Glad to see that you've stopped using Aquanet in your hair. That look _really_ didn't suit you."

Stefan stares at her, confused. "1987? Bon Jovi at the Garden?" she questions, hoping to jog his memory. " I was there, you were there. I don't blame you for not noticing me, you were a little preoccupied at the time. Draining teenagers and whatnot."

Stefan scratches the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Right…"

"Thankfully you've cleaned up your act, no doubt thanks to this one." she winks, lightly nudging Quinn.

Stefan looks at them both, still slightly perplexed. "So how did you two meet?"

"Common enemy." Lexi quips.

"Damon." Quinn clarifies. "Lexi kicked his ass."

Lexi holds up both her hands. "Please hold the applause."

"So where is Damon?" Stefan asks skeptically.

Lexi shrugs. "Ran off, jumped off a bridge, went to his psychiatrist, who knows, who really cares?"

"I wouldn't underestimate Damon, Lexi." Stefan advises. "You antagonize him, you bet he's going to retaliate in some way, shape, or form."


	18. Something Good Can Work

Having woken up in an empty bed that morning, Stefan walks downstairs figuring Quinn was already to go to school. He turns into the kitchen and finds her sitting at the counter, currently eating - or at least trying to - some cereal. Her hands were so trembling so much that as soon as she brought her spoon up to her mouth, the contents just spilled back into her bowl. Sighing, he walks around the counter and gingerly touches her shoulders, nearly causing her to jump out of her seat. "I take it that you didn't sleep well? Again?"

Quinn whips around to face him. "Regionals is _this_ week, Stefan." She tells him as if he didn't already know. "This week! In a few days, I will be performing by _myself_ in an auditorium full of people and I'm pretty sure I'm going to ruin our chances of going to Nationals."

"Take it easy." he whispers, kissing her hair. "You've been rehearsing with Rachel practically every day, you will be amazing. You have _nothing _to worry about."

Quinn stands up and walks into his arms, burying her face into his chest. "I feel like I'm going to be sick." she moans. "Ten bucks says I puke onstage during my song."

"You are _not_ going to puke." he chuckles, leaning down and nuzzling her cheek.

"You don't know for sure." she grumbles, reluctantly turning her head.

He rests his chin atop her head. "Tell me what I can do to make you feel better." he sighs, wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace.

"Convince Rachel to take the damn solo." she mutters.

"Nothing doing." he laughs, shaking his head.

Scoffing, she pushes him away. "So you're just going to let me suffer?" she inquires, brow quirked.

"This is an amazing opportunity for you." he begins, meeting her gaze.

"It sure doesn't feel like it." she pouts, folding her arms across her chest.

"I know it doesn't feel like it now but you'll see soon enough." he assures, touching her shoulders. "You're going to be thankful that you were given this opportunity to show off your impeccable talent." Quinn just turns her head stubbornly.

I tell you what." he gently touches her chin, bringing her attention back onto him. "Tonight we'll have a romantic evening alone, just you and me. It seems like we haven't had one in forever. I'll make you dinner and prepare whatever you want and then do we can do whatever you want. How's that sound?"

"It's not going to make me forget about regionals."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that." he says with a knowing smile.

"But what about Lexi?" she reminds. Lexi had been staying with them ever since the incident with Damon at the warehouse.

"Easy. We throw her out the minute the sun goes down." he says simply.

Quinn shakes her head and takes her bowl over to the sink. "Where is Lexi by the way?" she wonders, glancing around. "Is she still asleep?"

"Passed out in the guestroom last time I checked." he replies, leaning his forearms against the counter.

"Well we should get going. We don't want to be late for school." she says, taking another look at the clock on the oven. Looking back at Stefan, she asks, "Do you think she'll be okay by herself?"

Stefan pushes himself upright and nods, following her into the hallway. "Lexi's a big girl. I think she can handle it."

—

Unsurprisingly when Quinn walks into the choir room for their morning glee meeting she's met with the sight of Rachel and Santana having yet another argument. "Don't give me that look, gnome." Santana starts, arms crossed. "She could totally compel the Warblers to blow this thing, or compel the judges to vote for us. We win, we go to Nationals. It's a win-win. And a valid idea."

"Santana you are…" Rachel drifts off at the sight of Quinn. "Quinn, hi."

Santana turns and smiles at her presence. "Great. Let's ask Quinn about this."

Sighing, Quinn reluctantly walks over to the duo before things got physical. "I am not compelling anyone, Santana and especially not to win regionals." Although she'd be lying if she said the idea hadn't crossed her mind.

Santana's shoulders deflate. "But…"

"Besides don't you want to beat the Warblers fair and square?" she questions, setting down her bag and giving Brittany a quick hug before turning back around.

"See?" Rachel exclaims triumphantly. "She agrees with me!"

"Whatever." Santana scoffs. "I'm just saying that it's a valid game plan seeing as how we're probably doomed to repeat what happened last year."

"Don't be such a pessimist, Santana." Rachel lightly admonishes. "We've all grown a lot since last year. This year that first place trophy is sure to be ours!" she says brightly.

"We better otherwise I'll take my anger out on you, lima heights style." Santana threatens; Rachel gulps loudly.

Quinn just shakes her head and sits down next to Brittany. Rachel and Santana shortly follow suit. "Oh!" Rachel spins around to face Quinn. "You'll be pleased to know that I've been adding vervain in my herbal tea every morning." she says proudly.

Santana nods. "Yeah, Britt and I've been adding it to Sue's Master Cleanse." Brittany lifts up her Cheerios water bottle and gives it a firm shake, beaming.

"And I gave the everyone the bracelets with vervain just like you asked." Rachel says in a lower voice, nodding her head over to the others, who all had similar bracelets on. "It took a little convincing to get the guys to wear them, but I managed."

Santana leans forward in her seat. "Speaking of which, has there been any sightings of that _you know who?_"

Quinn glances over her shoulder. "Nope. None whatsoever. Lexi thinks he skipped town all together but Stefan thinks otherwise."

Santana makes a face. "So Lexi's still staying with you guys, huh?" she leans back in her seat, dismayed.

Quinn nods, her brow slowly furrowing. "Yeah, why?"

Santana shrugs carelessly, going back examining her nails. "No reason."

Before Quinn can comment on it any further, Mr. Schuester enters the choir room. "Hey, guys." he greets breathlessly making it just before the bell rings. "Let's get down to business." he begins, setting his bag on top of the piano before turning around to face everyone. "Now since we've decided on doing original songs for regionals, I-"

"Actually Rachel decided on that." Santana corrects, throwing a disgruntled look the brunette's way.

Though Rachel doesn't bother to turn around in her seat to regard the other girl, she does roll her eyes. "Original songs will guarantee us the win Santana, especially with Quinn's solo. All we need is a-"

"A group number." Mr. Schuester finishes, pointing to her with his dry erase marker. "That's what I wanted to focus on today. Writing an anthem for our group number." He looks to everyone expectantly. "Now what's your favorite song of all time?"

"_My headband._" Brittany deadpans.

Santana smirks and answers, "Alanis Morissette's _You Ought to Know._"

"_What's Going On_ by Marvin Gaye." Puck throws out.

Mr. Schuester nods his head. "Good. And what are all these songs about?" He doesn't wait for them to answer before continuing, "All these songs come from a place of pain. The greatest songs are about hurt." He turns and walks over to the whiteboard. "And that's the side of yourselves I want you to get in touch with."

"That should be easy." Artie speaks up. "Coach Sylvester tortures us for no reason and tries to get the entire school to hate us."

Santana nods her head in agreement. "Yesterday she filled Britt's and my locker with dirt."

Mr. Schuester nods encouragingly and begins scribbling away words on the board. "Okay. Okay. Slow down."

"Well, she literally throws sticks at me." Mercedes says, flashing back to the memory.

Mr. Schuester glances at her oddly for a brief moment but decidedly shrugging it off. "Okay, what else?"

"She called the Ohio secretary of state saying she was me and said that I wanted to legally change my name to Tina Cohen-Loser." Tina responds. Mr. Schuester writes the word _Loser_ up on the board. "Okay, and how does that make you feel?

"Well, at first it hurts." Finn starts. "But then it mostly makes you wanna win." Everyone else nods their heads agreeingly.

Mr. Schuester writes _Loser like me_ up on the board and Quinn automatically knew that she was staring at the title of their song. He seemed to think the same thing because then he turns to him with a grin, "Guys, I think we may have just found the title of our song."

Everyone claps and cheers before Mr. Schuester passes out rhyming dictionaries to them so that they could start brainstorming ideas off each other. Quinn ignores the dictionary and while everyone mostly goofed around, throwing out silly ideas, begins writing down possible lyrics in her notebook. When she glances over at Rachel she sees that the brunette is doing the same thing.

When the bell rings signaling the end of class, Quinn huffs slightly, having just come up with something she could really work with. She reluctantly puts her notebook back in her bag and gets up, following everyone else as they piled out of the choir room, still buzzing with the excitement of writing their own songs. Before she can make it out the door though, she feels herself being yanked backwards. Turning around, she sees that it was Rachel who was the cause. "You think you can afford ditching your next class to write an epic song?" she asks hopefully.

They do end up ditching their next class (and the class after that) to stay in the choir room and work on the song. They mesh their ideas together, furiously writing and rewriting until they come up with the perfect lyrics and music to accompany it. Admittedly there were a few times where Quinn wanted to smack Rachel upside the head but overall she was a good writing partner. And by the time the bell to fourth period rang, they had completed the song. Loser Like Me.

—

Stefan heads home by himself that day, Quinn having decided to the store with Santana and Brittany to pick up some things for their dinner date tonight. Hearing the sounds of the television coming from the living room when he enters the house, he calls out, "Hey, Lexi, I'm home." Kind of weird thing to be saying but Stefan shrugs it off and closes the door behind him. Before the door can even properly close, Lexi blurs in front him, nearly causing him to run into her. "Hello to you too." he greets, amused.

Lexi smiles sheepishly and takes a step back. "Sorry but I've super bored. A girl can only take so much television before wanting to shoot her brains out." Realizing Quinn was nowhere in sight, she frowns, "Where's Quinn?"

"She went to the grocery store with Santana and Brittany. She'll be back in a bit." he explains, starting them off toward the living room. "So what did you do all day besides _not_ shooting your brains out?" he inquires, chuckling slightly.

"Oh, you know, threw a major party, danced around in my underwear a la _Risky Business_, the usual." she says, shrugging casually. Stefan just laughs.

Lexi chuckles as they walk over to the sofa. "You know, your wife has got some interesting reading material." she brings up, picking up a book off the coffee table and tossing it to him.

Stefan frowns and turns the book around to read the title. "_101 Ways to Satisfy Your Husband: A Guide to Everything There Is About Sex and The Dirty Things To Do Beforehand."_ he reads aloud, brow raised. Having never seen the book before, he glances back at Lexi questionably.

"And where did you find this?"

"Underneath your bed." she responds, plopping herself down on the sofa.

He looks back at her in disbelief. "So you were snooping?"

"I was looking for something." she says innocently, shrugging.

Stefan arches his eyebrow skeptically. "In our room?"

"Okay, I was snooping." she sighs, exasperated. "But can you blame me? There's nothing to do! I was bored out of my mind. It sucks not being able to go anywhere during the day." she scowls. "I wish I had one of those nifty little daylight rings like you and Quinn." She brings up again, her gaze drifting to Stefan's daylight ring. "I have a mood ring from '75. Trade you?" she offers hopefully.

Stefan shakes his head. "Doesn't work that way and you know it." he reminds. Lexi pouts and slumps back into the sofa.

Rolling his eyes, Stefan sits down as well and briefly glances through Quinn's book. He was definitely going to have to ask her about this when she got home.

Setting the book aside, Stefan clears his throat and looks over at Lexi. "So Lexi, do you have any plans tonight?" he wonders curiously.

Lexi shakes her head and snatches Quinn's book from him. "Nope, why?"

"Just wondering." he shrugs. "Cause I was kind of hoping that Quinn and I could spend a little alone time together for the night."

Lexi smirks over at him. "You mean, you wanna…" She opens Quinn's book and turns it around before pointing to a graphic diagram of two people…_in the act. _

Stefan shakes his head quickly, averting his gaze. "No, I don't mean that. It's just Quinn's been really stressed about this glee club competition and I thought I could take her mind off it."

"Sex always works for me when I'm stressed." Lexi says cheekily, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Stefan just ducks his head down, embarrassed.

"So, this glee club competition…am I invited?" she asks, closing the book and tossing it aside.

Stefan shrugs. "I dunno, are you still going to be in town for it?"

"I can be." Lexi shrugs, nodding. "I'm in no rush."

Stefan's brow furrows. "What about New York? Bon Jovi?" he remembers.

"Concert's not for another week and a half." she explains. "Besides, how could I ever pass up a glee club competition?" Stefan playfully glares at her for that remark, knowing she was mocking the whole thing.

"But yeah, don't worry." she assures, standing up and squeezing his knee. "As soon as the sun's down, I'll be out of your hair, just like that." she says with a snap her fingers.

Stefan smiles gratefully. "Thanks." He watches her head up stairs. "Where are you going?"

"Gonna take a shower." she replies over her shoulder, "So don't get any ideas."

Stefan just shakes her off and picks his bag off the floor to start his homework. But after about five minutes into his Chemistry homework, he felt the need to shower as well. So he closes his notebook and heads upstairs to take a shower in his own bathroom.

—

That afternoon Rachel pulls up to Stefan and Quinn's house to see if Quinn wanted to squeeze in another rehearsal for regionals. She figured that Quinn would want to get in as much practice as she could before the big day. She knocks on the front door and waits patiently for a few seconds before an unfamiliar voice comes from the other side and says, "It's open. Come on in."

Though frowning, Rachel reluctantly does so and pushes open the door. She closes it behind her and walks into the foyer, looking around curiously. She turns and stops at the sight of a blonde in nothing but a towel coming towards her. A blonde who was definitely _not_ Quinn, she might add.

Lexi smiles at her warmly. "Hey who are you?"

"I'm Rachel Berry." she says after blinking away her surprise. "Who are you?"

"Lexi, I'm a friend of-"

"Hey Rachel." Stefan's voice suddenly comes from up the stairs. Rachel manages to pry her eyes from the towel girl long enough to see that Stefan was walking down the stairs, his hair dripping wet (presumably from a shower).

Rachel lifts her eyebrows in surprise, looking at Stefan, then at Lexi, the outrage slowly appearing on her face. "Oh my god!"

Lexi and Stefan glance back at each other, confused, then at Rachel, and then at each other. Rachel storms up to Stefan and hits him with her purse without hesitation. "I can't believe you!" she seethes before hitting him again, this time harder. "You asshole!"

Stefan dodges another one of her attempts at hitting him, looking at her incredulously. "What are you talking about Rachel?" he frowns.

She ignores him and continually tries to hit him. "How could you do something like this! After everything Quinn's been through for you! Quinn does not deserve this! Does marriage mean nothing to you! You're a pig, Stefan Salvatore. A disgusting, vile…"

Realization dawning on him, Stefan quickly grabs onto her wrists. "Woah, Rachel, take it easy. Lexi's not-"

Lexi shakes her head furiously, gesturing to herself, then to Stefan. "Yeah, I'm not. We're not…"

"We're just friends, Rachel." Stefan finishes.

"Yeah, I'm Quinn's friend." Lexi nods. "There is most definitely no hanky panky going on between us, I swear. I have a boyfriend. Plus I'm no home wrecker."

Rachel folds her arms across her chest, unconvinced. "Last time I checked friends do not take showers together…except for maybe Santana and Brittany."

Stefan shakes his head. "No. We took separate showers. I was in my bathroom, she was using the guest bathroom. Rachel, you have to know that I would never ever do something like that to Quinn." His brow furrows, confused. "Didn't she tell you about Lexi?"

"She may have mentioned something about her." Rachel murmurs, now thinking back on the conversation they had at lunch a few days ago. She looks at them both and her shoulders deflate. "I'm sorry I lost it." she apologizes, sighing. "I just saw you two, and you know Quinn's my best friend, and I just overreacted…"

"It's okay." Stefan assures, touching her shoulder.

Rachel takes a deep calming breath and readjusts her purse on her shoulder. She looks around expectantly. "So where is Quinn?"

"She went grocery shopping with Santana and Brittany." he explains. "She should be back soon."

"Well I just stopped by to see if she wanted to rehearse some more." Rachel replies before digging in her purse in search of her keys.

"You can stay if you want." Stefan offers. "She shouldn't be long."

Rachel politely declines, shaking her head. "No thanks. I've got a bunch of other stuff to do in preparation for regionals. I'll text her later."

Stefan nods understandingly and walks her out to the front door. "Nice meeting you, Rachel." Lexi calls after them, waving slightly.

Rachel smiles politely back at her. "Nice meeting you too…towel girl."

Lexi considers the name for a moment before shrugging. "Eh, I've been called worse."

—

"So Rachel stopped by." Stefan brings up as he helps Quinn carry the grocery bags inside. "Wanted to know if you wanted to rehearse."

"I know she just called me." Quinn chuckles, setting the bags on the counter. "She started ranting about she thought you and Lexi were having an affair."

Stefan nods. "Yeah, Lexi and I were taking showers at the same time, _separate_ showers, and when Lexi greeted her and I came downstairs, she kind of jumped to conclusions."

"Where's Lexi?" she asks, taking things out from the bags and beginning to put them away.

"Upstairs getting ready. She's going to go out for the night, giving us the place to ourselves." he smiles, coming up behind Quinn and stealing a kiss.

While Stefan prepares the dinner, Quinn starts on the dessert which was just simple chocolate chip cookies (her favorite food aside from bacon). They work around each other, occasionally stopping to share a few kisses with one another. They were currently in the middle of a passionate lip lock when someone cleared their throat, causing them both to break apart, their faces flushed.

They both turn their heads and find Lexi staring over at them from the other side of the counter, a smirk on her face. She looked ready for a night on the town, with her leather bomber jacket, teased hair, and dark lipstick. She sighs. "You guys are really too adorable for your own good. It's a little sickening." she admits with a laugh.

Quinn chuckles bashfully, taking a step away from Stefan. "You sound like Santana."

"So where you headed out tonight?" Stefan questions.

"Thought I'd drive down to Chicago." she answers casually.

"Chicago?" Both Stefan and Quinn raise their brows. "What's in Chicago?"

"My old friend, Gloria. She's a witch. She's-"

"Wait, you know Gloria?" Stefan asks. Lexi nods, glancing back at him. "You know her too?" she guesses.

Stefan nods. "Yeah for a while now."

"Me too. She loves me." she pauses, then adds, "Well, loves me as much as she can love a vampire."

Stefan's brow furrows in thought. "Wait, how exactly are you going to get to Chicago? You don't have a car, do you?"

Lexi waves off that minor little detail. "I've already taken care of it."

Scoffing, he inquires, "So you stole a car?"

"I did not steal a car, Stefan." Lexi sighs, rolling her eyes. "I merely _borrowed_ one…I'll give it back…eventually." she murmurs under her breath. Stefan and Quinn both give her disapproving glances.

"Okay I'm leaving before you two lecture me on the moral wrong doing that I've done." Lexi says, tapping the counter before hopping off her stool. "I'll see you two crazy kids in a few days."

Stefan walks her to the door while Quinn takes the cookies out of the oven. Lexi stops before walking outside and turns around. "And don't worry, I'll be back in time for Quinn's competition." she promises. "By the way, am I allowed to bring foam fingers to those kinds of things?" she wonders, smirking.

Stefan chuckles and shakes his head. Lexi feigns disappointment. "Darn, what about big embarrassing signs? A bullhorn?"

Stefan playfully glares at her. "Don't make me revoke your invitation."

"Whatever." Lexi scoffs. "You two be sure to have fun. And I took the liberty of highlighting a few things in that kinky book of Quinn's that you two are sure to love." she winks.

Just then there was a loud crash in the kitchen, alarming Stefan. "Quinn, you okay?" he calls out, worried.

"You two know about the book?" Quinn's panicked voice comes from the kitchen.

"Hell ya, you little pervert!" Lexi called back, laughing. She glances back at Stefan knowingly. "Have fun you two." she says once last time before disappearing out of sight.

Sighing, Stefan closes the door and walks back to the kitchen. "How long have you known about the book?" Quinn questions as soon as he walks in, still obviously mortified.

Stefan can't help but laugh. "Just found out today." he says, holding up his hands in his defense. Actually Lexi found it. Where on earth did you get that book?"

"It was a gift from Rachel." she grumbles, cheeks flushed.

"_From Rachel?_" he repeats skeptically, brow raised.

Quinn places some cookies onto a plate and nods. "I know, it surprised me too."

Snickering, he maneuvers around her and plucks one of the cookies off the plate. She tries to swat him away with the spatula but he was too quick for her. He smiles triumphantly and bites into the cookie but his expression quickly sours the longer he chews on the cookie.

Quinn frowns, confused. "What's wrong?"

Stefan doesn't answer right away. He quickly grabs a nearby paper towel and spit the contents into it. "Ugh. I must have added too much salt." he grimaces, wiping his mouth distastefully.

She looks at him oddly. "I was the one who put the salt in, Stefan."

He glances back at her and shakes his head. "Uh…no. I did."

She puts her hands on her hips, brow furrowed. "When did you do that?"

"When you were getting the vanilla out of the cupboard." he explains, pointing behind him. "I didn't see you put the salt in and I was about to salt the potatoes so I thought…"

"So you mean we both put salt in?" she inquires, hands dropping.

"Guess so." she shrugs, still making a face at the lasting taste on his tongue.

Glancing back at the tainted cookies, she sighs heavily. "Well, I guess we'll just have to get rid of them."

"Or we give them to Santana." he suggests, only half joking.

"Well, maybe this batch will be better." she says, swiping some cookie dough batter out of the bright yellow bowl with her finger. She puts it up to Stefan's lips and he reluctantly opens his mouth, only to have her miss his mouth a little, smearing the dough onto his cheek. She laughs.

He licks his lips of the dough and shudders. "Still salty."

"Yeah?" she says through a fit of giggles.

Stefan nods. "Yeah, but then again maybe I need a second opinion." he replies, scooping some of the dough out with his hand.

"No!" she squeals, instantly running away.

"You better run!" he calls out after her, grabbing the bowl before going after her with it.

—

About ten minutes later, the entire kitchen was covered in cookie dough thanks to their full out food fight. Quinn was currently hiding behind the counter while Stefan hid behind one of the kitchen walls, the both of them covered in cookie dough from head to toe.

Quinn peeks over the top of the counter, sensing that Stefan was still hiding behind the wall. She smirks at this and slowly rises to her feet before sighing dramatically. "Oh my, I've got cookie dough all over me." She could hear Stefan chuckle from the other side of the wall but he made no movements to peer over his shoulder.

"Well, look at that." she sighs, placing her hands on her hips. "It's even in my bra….maybe I should take it off and clean it…"

Stefan arches his eyebrow at this and despite his better judgment, peeks into the kitchen. "What…"

"Sucker!" Quinn yells before pelting him with more cookie dough, a good chunk hitting him square in the eye. He holds up the small container lid that he was using to shield him but it wasn't protecting him that well. "Okay! Okay!"

Quinn pauses her movements, eyebrow raised. "You surrender?"

Stefan nods, holding up both his hands in his defense and slowly moving towards her. "I give up. I'm putting the lid down."

Quinn eyes him suspiciously but reluctantly puts down the bowl she was holding. It was empty anyways.

"We sure made a mess." Stefan comments, taking the damage that they'd done.

"You started it." Quinn reminds while trying to get some cookie dough out of her hair.

"No way, _you _started it." he scoffs.

She turns to him and pokes at his chest. "You're the one who put too much salt in!"

He stares at her his mouth agape. "Hey, I didn't know you had put some in!"

"You should've known better, Mr. Master chief!" she laughs, flicking the cookie dough she had just gotten out of her hair onto his face.

Stefan raises his brow at this, eyes narrowing playfully. Knowing what this look meant, Quinn starts backing away from him. But of course Stefan's too quick for her and grabs her before she can properly get away from him. She screams when he begins tickling her sides, her body squirming to get out of his grasp. "Stefan! Stop!" she pleads.

"Nah, don't feel like it."

Laughing so hard that tears were beginning to blur her vision, she reaches over to the counter and manages to grab an egg from the carton. She doesn't hesitate to smash it on top of his head. He immediately lets go of her and proceeds to fish the egg out of his hair. She bites down on her bottom lip to try and contain her laughter but she couldn't help herself.

"You are something else." he murmurs, shaking out his yolk covered hands before grabbing the hem of his egg drenched shirt and pulling it overhead. Too busy admiring his bare chest, she doesn't even see him coming until she realizes she's just been thrown over his shoulder. "Stefan! Stefan put me down!" she demands, lightly pounding her fists against his back as he carried her upstairs.

"Nu-uh, you've done it now." he says over his shoulder, kicking their bedroom door open and heading towards their bathroom.

"But what about dinner? You promised!"

"Dinner can wait. We need to get cleaned up first."

Quinn frowns from over his shoulder. "But we still have to clean the kitchen, what's the point of-"

Stefan finally sets her down in the shower and without warning, turns the water on them both before closing the shower door behind him. She gasps. "You could've at least waited until I got my clothes off!"

"But then I wouldn't of been able to do it myself." he responds, smiling cheekily before crouching down before her. He forcefully rips her skirt so that it had a nice slit up the length of it.

"Stefan!" she exclaims, taken aback.

He looks up at her innocently. "What? It's ruined anyways."

"Well now it is!" she frowns. "That was my favorite-"

Stefan cuts her off with a searing kiss one which Quinn doesn't hesitate to reciprocate. She throws her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss as much she could, eliciting a growl from Stefan. Smiling into the kiss, she nips at his bottom lip playfully before pulling away. His hands drop to his waist and he begins unbuckling his jeans while Quinn shrugs off her cardigan and tosses it over the shower door. Before she can even start to take off her top, Stefan grabs a hold of the front and hastily rips it open, quickly disposing of it. She glares at him slightly for that. "You could've just asked for me to take it off."

"Now where would've been the fun in that?" he wonders, smirking as he tears away her underwear.

She rolls her eyes and reaches behind her back, unclasping her bra before tossing it over the shower door. When they're both completely naked, Stefan backs her up against the tile wall, his lips instantly going to her shoulder, his mouth teasing and teeth nipping at her sensitive skin.

Quinn moans at the enticing sensation and pushes her hands against his shoulders when his hands slide down to the backs of her thighs and lift her up. Her legs automatically wrap around his waist. She brushes her wet bangs out of her face and glances down at him. "Bed?"

He nods and takes her back to the bedroom at vampire speed before depositing her on the bed.

He licked his lips at the sight of her, lying on their bed completely nude, looking up at him with lust filled eyes.

It takes all his willpower not to just ravish her right then and there. He stands there for a few moments, just taking in her beauty, when she lifts up her finger and beckons him toward her, her bright hazel eyes sparkling with desire. A low growl escapes him then and he instantly moves on top of her, his lips meeting hers in another passionate embrace.

He settles himself in between her legs and first looks to her for permission before sliding into her heat. She gasps at the feeling, her back arching off the bed as he pushes through her, filling her as only he could. "You alright?" he rasps, grunting slightly as her legs wrapped around him, forcing him deeper.

She nods quickly, bucking her hips and encouraging him to move. He moves slowly at first, gaining momentum with each thrust, her pleads filling his ears. She throws her head back and moans when he rolls his hips, hitting her sweet spot. He thrusts back into her, repeatedly hitting the same spot with more force each time.

Her nails dig into his back as he pumps harder into her, maintaining his pace. He abruptly takes her leg and props it onto one of his shoulders, allowing him to thrust into her at a deeper angle.

"Stefan…" Is all she can manage out as Stefan brings her closer to the edge, her orgasm fast approaching.

Stefan rolls his neck, reveling in the feeling and fighting the urge to just bite her. He growls deeply when her walls clench around him, her orgasm washing over them both and triggering his own. As the two of them fight to catch their breath, the oven timer goes off downstairs in the kitchen.

"Chicken's done." she says breathlessly, glancing up at Stefan.

"Well it'll have to wait cause I'm not done with you yet." he murmurs, rolling them over for another round.

Needless to say, they ended up having burnt chicken and overcooked vegetables for dinner that night, not that they really cared.

—

Just like sectionals, regionals comes way too fast for Quinn's liking. Currently in the lobby of some theater - she had been too preoccupied on the bus ride to remember its name - she paces around frantically. Everyone else was inside cheering on Kurt and the Warblers, she would be in the audience too had she not felt so nauseous. God this was like sectionals all over again, except somehow worse.

"Quinn?"

She spins around, slightly relieved to see Stefan walking over to her. "What's wrong?"

She lets out a shaky sigh and steps into his strong arms, needing a moment in his protective embrace. "I'm going to screw this up, Stefan. I just know it."

"No you won't." he assures, kissing her hair. "You are going to kill it. Everyone is going to love you, I mean how could they not? You're such a beautiful person, inside and out." He touches his forehead against hers, meeting her gaze. "You're strong enough to do this. You just got to have faith, remember?"

"Thanks Stefan." she sighs, lifting her gaze and smiling gratefully.

"I'll wait in the wings if you want me to." he offers, dropping his arms when she steps out of his embrace.

"Hey, you two." Quinn and Stefan both turn around to find Lexi walking up to them, dressed for the occasion.

"When did you get here?" Quinn asks, greeting her with a hug.

"I snuck in halfway through that Jesus number." she responds making a face. "I immediately wanted to blow my brains out just so you know. Please tell me your group is much better."

Quinn laughs and nods confidently. "Yeah much better." she assures.

"So notice anything different about me?" Lexi wonders, taking a step back and casually waving her left hand.

"You got a daylight ring." Stefan answers, noticing the lapis lazuli on her finger.

Lexi nods, smiling proudly at it. "Although I literally had to get down on my knees and beg Gloria to make me one, but it was _so_ worth it."

"Congratulations, Lexi." Quinn beams.

Just then thunderous applause echoes from the auditorium. Quinn takes this as a sign that the Warblers had just finished their set. Her stomach lurches at this realization.

Noticing this, Lexi touches her shoulders. "Hey." Quinn glances back at her, forcing a smile. "You're going to be great. Kick-ass, really. Don't be worried. It's what you love to do, right?" When Quinn nods, Lexi grins. "Then don't worry about anything else. Just perform the song. Me and Stefan will be cheering you on, no matter what." she promises, clasping her shoulder.

"Thanks, Lexi." she says gratefully, exchanging another hug with the older blonde before the New Directions come bustling through the auditorium doors, heading toward the green room.

"Quinn, there you are! C'mon!" Rachel scurries over to them and snatches Quinn's hand, pulling her away from Lexi. "Bye guys!" she says to them quickly over her shoulder before Rachel drags her around the corner.

—

"Why's Lexi here?" Santana tries to ask casually as she walks alongside Quinn on their way towards the back of the stage. "I thought she left."

"Only for a few days." Quinn replies, frowning slightly. "And what's up with you?"

"What do you mean?"

Quinn stops and takes her arm, pulling her back. "Why do you have such a problem with Lexi? And don't try to say that you don't cause it's obvious that you do." she interjects before Santana tries to deny it. "Wait, are you jealous of her or something?"

When Santana refuses to answer, Quinn's eyes widen. "You are!"

"Of course I'm jealous of Lexi!" she snaps, scowling. "I mean, come on, the girl all kinds of awesome. She puts my badassness to shame and she doesn't even have to try, she just is. And it doesn't help that you two are totally buddy buddy's now." she grumbles. "I've got competition now, Q. And frankly, it sucks."

"But I've become buddies with Rachel and you aren't jealous of her." Quinn points out.

Santana shoots her a look under her lashes. "You're talking about Rachel Berry." she reminds.

"Right but still." Quinn steps forward, unable to contain her smile. "You have no reason to be jealous of Lexi. It's not she's going to replace you, Santana. Not that she ever could. We'll always have a special bond that no one else could touch, San."

Santana ducks her head down in attempt to hide her smile. "And besides, Lexi's been around for _350 years. _It took her that long to be the badass that she now is." Quinn continues, lightly nudging her. "But you, you're only seventeen and look at you! You've got badassness flowing through your veins."

Santana chuckles, lifting her gaze. "I do, don't I?" she smirks.

"Quinn!" Rachel hisses, coming out of nowhere and yanking her backwards. "You need to be onstage, ASAP!"

Without warning Rachel pushes her out onto the dark stage. Scowling, she maneuvers around the dark stage toward the piano and takes a seat on the bench. Everyone whispers good-luck to her from the wings. She swallows hard and cracks her fingers nervously, awaiting her cue. Hearing a soft whistle from the wings, Quinn turns her head to see that Stefan was there. Relieved, she smiles, her nerves diminishing significantly. He mouths the words _I love you_ just as the announcer's voice fills out over the PA.

"_And now, from McKinley High School in Lima, Ohio…the New Directions!" _

When the curtains are raised, Quinn squints slightly at the onslaught of light the stage brings. Exhaling shakily, she turns her attention to the piano in front of her and waits for the applause to die down before playing the opening keys and singing.

_There's a song that's inside of my soul  
>It's the one that I've tried to write<br>over and over again  
>I'm awake in the infinite cold<br>But you sing to me over and over and over again_

She glances over at Stefan and they exchange a brief smile. Rachel appears beside him and gives her an enthusiastic thumbs up.  
><em>So I lay my head back down<br>And I lift my hands  
>And pray to be only yours<br>I pray to be only yours  
>I know now you're my only hope<em>

_Sing to me the song of the stars  
>Of your galaxy dancing and laughing<br>and laughing again  
>When it feels like my dreams are so far<br>Sing to me of the plans that you have  
>for me over again<em>

She had been working on this song ever since she had been diagnosed with Leukemia, and it had taken her the longest time to complete. It wasn't until she started dating Stefan that she was finally able to finish it. The song was partly about him, so while she sang, she was sure to take a few moments to sing it directly to him.

_So I lay my head back down  
>And I lift my hands<br>And pray to be only yours  
>I pray to be only yours<br>I know now you're my only hope…_

She plays the last keys and exhales, slowly taking her hands off the keys when she finished. She was too far lost in the song that the audience actually startled her when they broke out into applause. She smiles graciously at the crowd, her eyes then widening in surprise when they all gave her a standing ovation. Still smiling, she manages to stand and gracefully bow her head. She could only hope that she'd regain the feeling in her legs in time to for the other number.

She stands there basking in the moment, in the praise, wanting nothing more than to cry out from sheer happiness. When the lights of the stage turn off, Quinn steps back into the shadows as the rest of the group got in their places for _Loser Like Me_.

"You were amazing!" Santana whispers to her, quickly throwing her arms around her before walking over to her place.

"Okay guys" Rachel's hushed voice came. "Get in your places." The music starts up again and everyone on stage gives it their all, knowing they had to show the judges just how much they deserved to go to Nationals.

—

Stefan quickly makes his way through the lobby to join Lexi in the audience for the New Direction's second number. He stops unexpectedly though, his brother suddenly standing before him. His jaw tightening, he reluctantly asks, "What are you doing here, Damon?"

"Just thought I'd stop by, you know cheer on my new sis and all." Damon responds, smirking. "This is a big day for her."

"How did you even know about this?" he wonders, brow furrowed.

Damon smiles knowingly and raises his shoulders. "I have my ways."

"Where've you been?"

"Mystic Falls." Damon replies curtly. "Home, sweet, home and whatnot."

"Whatever for." he asks dryly, silently wondering what the hell would make Damon come back to their hometown.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

Stefan shakes his head. "No not really." he says honestly, in no mood for his brother's games.

"Well you'll be pleased to know brother that I won't be bothering you or the Mrs. for a while. I'm going to be a little preoccupied." Damon informs.

Though he knows Damon's just fishing for a reaction, Stefan asks, "Why? Plan on inflicting misery on some other town?"

Damon rolls his eyes, scoffing at the simplicity of the idea. "Hardly." he smiles deviously. "I have a bigger surprise, Stefan. One that you're sure to hate."

Stefan snorts, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. "And what would that be?"

"I'm gonna bring her back."

Stefan's brow knits together in confusion. "What?"

"Katherine." Damon says slowly, slightly exasperated. "I'm going to bring her back."


	19. How Soon Is Now?

"Katherine." Damon says slowly, slightly exasperated. "I'm going to bring her back."

He turns around and starts walking down the remainder of the empty hallway, knowing Stefan would follow him. "How can you bring Katherine back?"

Damon keeps walking. "Before Katherine and the others were killed in the church," he begins, turning his head toward Stefan. "You remember what it was like in Mystic Falls?"

Stefan stops when Damon does and nods. "Yeah, I remember the fear and hysteria."

"Townspeople were killing vampires one by one. When they came for Katherine, I went straight to Emily Bennett. Said I'd do anything. Name your price, just protect her. She did."

Stefan frowns. "How?"

"She did some spell with Katherine's crystal." Damon responds offhandedly, shrugging.

"Katherine's crystal, the one Emily gave to her?"

Damon nods. "While the church burned, we all thought Katherine was burning in it. But she wasn't."

"But I saw her go inside." Stefan points out, confused.

"There's a tomb underneath the church." Damon explains. "The spell sealed Katherine in that tomb, protecting her."

Stefan's eyes narrow in disbelief. "Are you telling me that Katherine's alive?"

"Well, if that's what you wanna call it." Damon scoffs. "She's been trapped in a mystical holding cell for the last century and a half. Alive really isn't the right word."

Stefan remains silent, processing all this new information. "Did you know that witches can use celestial events to draw energy into their magic?" Damon asks knowing Stefan didn't. "Yeah me either. But in order to give the crystal its power Emily used the comet that was passing overhead. And in order for that crystal to work again…the comet had to return." he lets out a long sigh. "Downside: long time in between comets."

Stefan nods, faintly recalling that the comet only ever passed over Mystic Falls every 145 years. Which meant, if Emily last used the comet's energy 145 years, then the comet would soon pass over Mystic Falls once again. Soon if he's not mistaken.

"Anyways." Damon continues. "The comet passed not too long ago and I had the crystal." he says rather bitterly.

"But why would Emily do this for you?" Stefan interrupts.

"Because she knew they were gonna come for her too. And she made me promise that her lineage would survive."

"I remember." he nods. "You saved her children…wait…did you say you _had_ the crystal?"

"Yeah, I kept it hidden, kept it safe, but somehow, the crystal ended up in hands of the newest little Bennett witch. _Bonnie._"Damon spits in clear agitation. "And it's not like I can just rip her throat out to get it. A deal's a deal."

Stefan shakes his head, his jaw terse. He couldn't let his brother bring Katherine back. He just couldn't. Sighing, he glances back at Damon. "It wasn't real, Damon."

Damon looks over at him curiously, slightly confused.

"Our love for Katherine." he clarifies; Damon rolls his eyes, having heard this before.

"She compelled us, Damon." Stefan reminds, grabbing him by the shoulders and forcing him to look him in the eyes. "We didn't have a choice. It took me years to sort that out, to truly understand what she did to us. She didn't really love us, she was just toying with us."

Damon shoves him away, shrugging him off. "What we had was real, Stefan. I knew everything, every step of the way. She wasn't faking it with me."

"Damon, please. Bringing back Katherine will only bring trouble."

Damon folds his arms across his chest, brow raised. "Trouble for who, Stefan? Cause if Katherine comes back, I will most likely then leave you alone, which, isn't what you've always wanted?"

"Remember what happened the last time Katherine came into our lives, Damon!" Stefan exclaims, trying to get his brother to see reason.

"This time is different, Stefan!" Damon throws back angrily. "You've moved on, you found the girl of your dreams…this time she won't have the two of us pining after her."

"Yeah, she'll just have you." he snorts.

"You got the happily ever after, Stefan." Damon says, his voice harsh. "Why can't I have the same thing?"

Stefan's expression softens slightly as he meets his brother's gaze. But before he could respond someone calls out his name. "Stefan!"

He turns around to see Quinn running towards him, a million watt smile plastered across her face. "We won, Stefan!" she exclaims, all but jumping into his arms when she was close enough. "We're going to Nationals!"

He manages a smile and wraps his arms around her. "That's amazing." he murmurs, squeezing her tightly and kissing her chastely. "I knew you guys could do it."

Quinn pulls away from him and notices for the first time Damon standing behind him. "Damon." she says, her smile faltering. "What are you doing here?"

Damon plasters an insincere smile on his face. "Now what kind of brother-in-law would I be if I didn't show up to cheer you on your big day?" he questions.

"A good one." she retorts, glaring at him.

Damon rolls his eyes and holds up his hands defensively. "Take it easy, princess, I won't hurt anyone you care about…tonight. Scout's honor." he promises.

Quinn folds her arms across her chest and scoffs. "Why is it that I don't believe you?"

Damon shrugs, losing what interest he had in the conversation. "Whatever. I was just leaving anyways."

Stefan steps forward and prevents him from leaving. "Damon…" They hadn't exactly finished their previous conversation.

"Save it, Stefan. My mind's made up. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got some very important business to attend to." He turns around and glances back at Quinn. "And congratulations on winning…this thing of yours…whatever it is you call it."

"Show choir competition." she finishes for him. Damon just nods and turns back around, eventually walking out of sight.

When he was completely gone, Quinn looks to Stefan expectantly. "Okay, what was that all about?"

"Just Damon being Damon." he sighs, his hands deep in his pockets.

Quinn lifts her gaze questionably. "And what does that mean exactly?"

Stefan's expression changes then and she can't help but groan, knowing that look. "What has he done now?" she asks tentatively.

He hesitates for a moment before telling her, "It turns out that Katherine's not really dead."

"Katherine." she repeats, "As in your ex-girlfriend, Katherine? The one who turned you and Damon?"

"The one and only." he reports simply.

"But…how is she alive?" she wonders, sounding skeptical.

"To make a long story somewhat short, Damon made a deal with a witch we knew back in 1864, Emily Bennett, to protect Katherine. She did and ended up sealing Katherine in a tomb underneath the church where she supposedly died. Now Damon wants to free her."

Quinn looks up at him, trying to figure out what his thoughts were on all this. Her brow furrows. "So what are you going to do….stop Damon?"

Stefan nods, his gaze falling back to her. "It looks like that's what I'm going to have to do." he breathes.

"But how?"

"I'll figure something out." he shrugs.

Quinn bites down on her lip hesitantly. "Wouldn't it be easier to just let Damon free Katherine?" she asks. "I mean, if he had her, wouldn't he finally leave you alone?"

"No good can come from bringing her back, Quinn. Trust me." he says firmly. "The world is better off with her in that tomb. I can't let him free her."

Quinn nods understandingly. "Okay, so what do you want to do?"

"Damon needs a specific crystal from this young witch back in Mystic Falls, she's one of Emily's descendants." he explains quietly, leading her away from the crowd that was slowly gathering as everyone exited the auditorium. "I need to keep Damon from getting it, maybe even get it destroyed."

"Okay, so we need to go to Mystic Falls." she finishes, nodding..

He stops in front of her, shaking his head. "No, _I_ need to go to Mystic Falls." he corrects. "_You_ will stay here."

"No way." she scoffs, arms crossing. "I'm coming with you. I could help."

"No. You stay here. I want you as far away from all this as possible, just incase things take a turn for the worst."

"But Stefan-"

"Quinn, you're not going."

"Stefan, I _am _going." she says as evenly as she can.

"Lexi will need someone to keep her company while she's here." he argues.

"Nice try." she smirks. "Lexi's heading back to New York, remember?"

"Maybe I can get her to stay awhile longer." he mutters, more to himself than to her. "That way she can protect you while I'm gone."

"I don't need a bodyguard, Stefan!" she sighs, exasperated. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"I'm not implying that you can't." Stefan responds. "I would just feel better if you had some protection while I'm gone."

"Just let me come with you." she pleads, touching his arm. Seeing his uncertainly, her shoulders deflate. "Stefan, how long is it going to take you to realize that we're better off together than apart?" she inquires.

He stares back at her for a few moments before giving in. "Okay, fine." he says quietly, nodding.

Her lips quirk up in a small triumphant smile. "I know you don't like my being overprotective, but I'm just trying to keep you safe. That's always been my main goal." he reminds, his expression softening.

She smiles faintly and touches his cheek, touching her forehead to his. "I know and I appreciate it. Really, I do. I-"

"Hey, Quinn!" Turning around, Quinn sees the rest of the rambunctious New Directions piling into the lobby, Puck and Sam holding their giant 1st place trophy.

"Quinn, come on!" Santana beckons happily, her hand interlocked with a exuberant Brittany, "Party at Rachel's!"

Rachel, who was currently being given a piggy back ride from Finn, stops and looks at them, confused. "Wait, what?"

"You're throwing us a celebratory party, Berry. Deal with it." Santana snaps lightheartedly before glancing back at Quinn and Stefan questioningly. "So you two coming or what?"

"Yeah and don't tell us you're bailing because you two already missed the last victory party." Puck adds, looking at them pointedly.

Stefan and Quinn share a quick glance before looking back at their friends apologetically.

Santana's face falls. "You've got to me kidding me! You two have better got a good reason to be skipping out!"

"It's complicated." both Quinn and Stefan sigh.

—

After a few hours out on the road, Stefan and Quinn finally reach Mystic Falls. "So this is your hometown." she comments, glancing out the window at the unfamiliar scenery around her.

Stefan looks around as well and nods. "Yeah, but it looked a lot different when I lived here." "It's so beautiful here, very picturesque." she remarks, smiling slightly.

"Who would've thought that 145 years ago it was crawling with vampires." he responds, unsure of how he felt being back in his hometown, his birthplace.

"So where are we going exactly?" Quinn wonders as Stefan drives them further away from what she assumes is the heart of the town.

"The Salvatore Boarding house." he explains. "It was built around 1914 and for years it served as a boarding house, but once my nephew took residence in it-"

Quinn's eyes widen, her brow raised. "Nephew?" she repeats.

"Distant nephew." he assures, chuckling at the look she was giving him. "_Very_ distant…my father had an affair, the baby was given the Salvatore surname, it's a long story." He waves it off, not willing to go into detail of his father's affairs. "Anyways, it's not so much a boarding house anymore, but it's a more of a place for Damon and I to stay whenever we're in town. Not that that ever happens, really."

Quinn gazes at the passing houses before turning her attention back to him. "And your _nephew_…does he know about…?"

Stefan nods. "Yeah, he does."

"When was the last time you were here?" she wonders.

"Many, many years." he sighs. "…wasn't exactly pleasant. For the town, I mean."

Quinn puts two and two together and nods. "Ripper Stefan painted the town red." she surmises.

Stefan looks away guiltily and pulls into the driveway of his family's estate. When he looks over at Quinn, he finds that her jaw had dropped. She looks back at him, incredulous. "Is this it?"

He turns off the engine and extracts the keys from the ignition, nodding his head. The two of them get out of the car and walk up to the front door, Stefan reaching forward and knocking..

The door opens after a few seconds to reveal a man in his early to mid thirties. The man's gaze went directly to Stefan and his eyes widened in response. _"_Uncle Stefan?"

Quinn couldn't help but find it amusing that a fully grown man was calling Stefan _his uncle_.

"Hey, Zach." Stefan replies, nodding curtly. "How've you been?"

Zach still seemed a little taken aback by his presence. "I've been fine…you?" he asks, his tone coming out more questioning than he probably intended.

Stefan glances at Quinn and smiles. "Couldn't be better. Quinn, this is my nephew Zach, Zach this is Quinn, my wife."

Quinn let go of Stefan's hand long enough to shake Zach's. "It's nice to meet you." she greets politely.

Zach just looks at her and then back at Stefan, and then back at her again before reluctantly shaking her hand, "Likewise."

Sensing his nephew's unease, Stefan begins, "It's been a long time since we last saw each other…things have changed, to say the least."

"Obviously." Zach nods, looking at Stefan closely. "You don't seem like a dick anymore."

Stefan half smiles and gestures behind him. "Can we come inside? I think we've got some catching up to do."

Zach steps aside without hesitation. "Yeah, sure, come on in."

"This place is amazing." Quinn comments, walking deeper into the parlor and taking it in. While she began to explore the rest of the house, Zach and Stefan stayed in the living room.

"So, uncle Stefan, not that I'm not happy to see you, but is something going on?" Zach asks, concerned. "Damon's been in and out of town lately and now you show up? It's unnerving to say the least."

"Just trying to keep Damon from doing something he'll regret." he says honestly, sighing deeply.

Zach folds his arms across his chest, frowning questioningly. "Since when do you care what Damon does? Actually, better question, since when did you even start caring, Uncle Stefan?"

"Since she came into my life." he responds, his face lighting up when Quinn reentered the room.

Zach nods, smiling sincerely. "Well good for you, Uncle Stefan. It's nice to know that at least one of you has changed." The other being Damon.

Stefan turns his attention back onto him. "Yeah, speaking of, when was the last time you saw Damon?" he wonders.

Zach shrugs, brow furrowed in thought. "Not too long ago, a few hours ago?"

"What did he say?" Quinn questions, coming up beside Stefan.

"Same old, same old." Zach replies, hand coming up to scratch behind his neck. "I ask him why he's here, he dodges my question, I make it clear that I don't want him here, he gets mad, and then he threatens me…the usual." he chuckles bitterly.

"Any idea where he is now?"

Zach shakes his head, at a loss. "Not in the slightest."

"Well any idea where the Bennett's live?" Stefan asks instead.

Zach thinks about it for a second. "I think off of Pine street…why?" He looks at Stefan, brow arched.

Stefan shares a look with Quinn before turning back to Zach. "Just want to make sure Damon hasn't done anything hasty."

—

Bonnie Bennett exits the library, having just finished gathering a few books she would need for the research paper she had to start this weekend. For once she was grateful for the weekend homework just because now she had an excuse to tell her Grams when she would undoubtedly call to wonder why she hadn't visited her this weekend.

As much as she loved her Grams, these days all she wanted to do was teach her more and more about witchcraft, to enhance her powers. Powers she, frankly, didn't even want at all, let alone want to enhance. As of late she had been having these nightmares, all revolving around her ancestor Emily Bennett, which was keeping her from sleeping. Being a teenager sleep was very important and falling in the sleep in the middle of class wasn't exactly helping her grades. Not to mention that, on top of all this crap she had to deal with, now she had a stalker to boot. A stalker, who for some unknown reason, wanted her ancestor Emily's amulet.

Now that she thinks about it, her nightmares had all started when she first obtained the amulet. Unsure of what to make of this coincidence, she sighs to herself and keeps walking. She really needed someone to talk to about this. But who? She had her two best friends but what would she tell them? That she was a witch? They wouldn't believe her. Hell, she didn't even believe it when her Grams told her. And part of her still doesn't.

Suddenly sensing a cold presence behind her, her body stiffens before she whips around. She swallows hard at the sight of Damon Salvatore standing right behind her but does her best to keep her composure. "I thought you left town."

"Momentarily." he nods. "But don't worry, I wouldn't dare leave for good without saying goodbye first." he says with a flirty bat of his eyelashes.

"How considerate of you." she scoffs, rolling her eyes. Annoyed, Damon takes a step towards her.

She immediately backs away from him. "Take another step and I'll scream." she warns.

He snorts and looks down at her darkly. "I want _my_ necklace, Bonnie." he says as nicely as he can.

"Well, _you_ can't have it." she says sharply, turning around to continue on her way.

Damon follows her without hesitation. "I can't take it but you can definitely give it to me." He grabs her arm and spins her back around to face him, "Look, I'm trying to help you."

She shrugs him off and tries to keep walking. "I don't want your help."

He chuckles. "You do and you don't even know it. You know why you little witch?" He stops in front of her, blocking her passage. "Because you've stumbled into something you need to stumble out of."

She tries to move around him but he just stands in her way. "Just leave me alone or I swear-"

"Nope, no threats." he tsks, shaking his finger disapprovingly. "Believe it or not Bonnie, I wanna protect you." He leans down closer to face, forcing her to meet his gaze dead on. "Let me help you get Emily off your back."

Eyes widening, she can't help but stagger back a step. "How do you know about her?"

"I know a lot of things and I know more about that crystal than you do." he informs pointedly. "And I know that she's using it to creep inside of you." He straightens up and smirks. "See how scared you are? And you should be, because I will get that crystal even if I have to wait for Emily to give it to me herself."

"So next time she comes out to play, you tell her that a deal's a deal." he calls out over his shoulder before disappearing completely from sight, leaving Bonnie to stand on the curb alone.

—

Quinn sits down next to Stefan on the front porch of the Bennett family house. "So what's the plan now?" she wonders. After interrogating a few neighbors, they had managed to find out the exact location of their house, but unfortunately no one was home at the moment.

"We wait until someone comes home." he replies simply.

"Looks as though we won't have to wait long." Quinn says, nudging Stefan slightly and nodding her head towards the car that was pulling up in the driveway in front of them. They both quickly push themselves off the porch steps and patiently wait for whoever it was to get out of the car.

—

When Bonnie pulls up to her house, she's met with the sight of two strangers hanging out on her front porch. Though her every fiber is telling her to stay in her car and drive off, she gets out of her car and cautiously makes her way over to them. There was a guy and a girl, both of which looked to be around her age.

The girl, a blonde who reminded her somewhat of Caroline, speaks up first. "Excuse me, are you Bonnie Bennett?"

She nods, still eyeing the duo suspiciously, "Yeah…and who are you?"

The girl steps forward, smiling warmly, and introduces herself. "I'm Quinn and this is Stefan." The guy next to her nods curtly.

"Why are you here?" she questions, looking at them both warily.

Stefan clears this throat and steps forward. "It's come to our attention that my brother has been harassing you lately." he starts. "My name is Stefan Salvatore."

Bonnie automatically takes a cautious step back. "Wait, you're Damon's brother?"

Stefan makes a face and reluctantly nods. "Unfortunately."

"But don't worry." Quinn assures, noticing the expression on her face. "Stefan's nothing like Damon, promise."

Bonnie's brow furrows curiously. "What exactly do you two want?"

"We just want to help you." Quinn replies, sharing a look with Stefan, who then nods in agreement.

Skeptical of these two, she asks, "How can you help me?"

"We know that Damon wants your necklace." Stefan starts, nodding his head towards the amulet she wore around her neck.

"And we also know that you're a witch." Quinn adds.

Bonnie looks at them both unsurely before reluctantly walking towards the door. "We should probably take this conversation inside." she murmurs, fiddling with her keys before unlocking the door. "Come on in." she says without thinking, leading the way inside.

When they reach the living room she beckons them to sit down on the sofa. "So how long have you been a witch?" Stefan questions, taking a seat next to Quinn.

"Not very long." she admits, taking to the chair opposite them. "I'm still relatively new to all this." She stressfully runs a hand through her hair and tries to fight back a yawn.

"Everything okay?" Quinn asks, concerned.

Bonnie nods, sighing slightly. "Just haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately." She pulls her necklace out from under her shirt and removes it. "And it all started with this thing." She drops the amulet onto the coffee table in front of them.

Quinn reaches for it and looks at it closely. "What do you mean?"

"It's just, ever since I got that thing, I've been having these weird dreams about my ancestor Emily." she explains, though she doesn't know why. These people are strangers who have no idea what's really going on with her.

"The amulet was hers." Stefan nods, looking it over when Quinn hands it to him.

Bonnie stares at him, confused. "How did you know that?"

"Long story." He shakes his head and hands her back the amulet. "So what happens in these dreams of yours?"

Bonnie takes a deep breath before reluctantly telling them all about her dreams. She can't talk to anyone else about this and though they're strangers, she doesn't see the harm in venting.

"….and then I ended up at the remains of old Fell's Church before I woke up back in the woods."

"And you always see your ancestor Emily?" Stefan asks, his mind processing this new information.

Bonnie nods, aimlessly fiddling around with her amulet in her hands. "…Do you believe in ghosts?" She lifts her gaze expectantly. "Cause I think I'm being haunted."

"I don't understand, why Emily?" Quinn wonders.

Bonnie shrugs. "My grams said she was a powerful witch back in the civil war days. The medallion was hers. It's a witches' talisman."

"And it all started when you got the necklace?" Stefan clarifies.

"I think she's using it to communicate with me." Bonnie says, thinking it over.

"Your grandmother is she a witch too?" Quinn asks out of curiosity. Bonnie nods.

Stefan looks at her expectantly. "And what does she have to say about all this?"

Bonnie shakes her head, shrugging. "I can't tell her about it. She's gonna tell me to embrace it. I don't wanna embrace it. I want it to stop. I'm starting to think that I should just give it to Damon-"

"Don't." Quinn and Stefan advise at the same time.

Bonnie glances at them curiously. "Why does he want my amulet, anyways? And how do you know that I'm a witch? And how do know about Emily?"

Quinn and Stefan stare at each other hesitantly. Bonnie sees this and frowns. "Look you guys can't expect me to take your help when you won't tell me what you know and how you know it."

Quinn glances over at Stefan. "We might as well tell her." she sighs.

Stefan nods. "Yeah, I guess we should."

The first thing they tell her is that they're actually vampires and after she processes that, Stefan tells her about how he knew Emily and why exactly Damon wanted her amulet. After they finish telling her their story, Bonnie stays quiet for the longest time. Not that they could blame her, after all, it was a lot of information to take in. "I can't believe vampires actually exist." Is the first thing that comes to her mind.

Quinn reaches over and squeezes her hand reassuringly. "It's a lot to take in, we know, but understand that we're here to help you."

"And the only way we can do that is by destroying that." Stefan adds, nodding towards the amulet in her grasp. "Damon won't stop until he gets it."

"But I don't know how to destroy it." Bonnie tells them. "Believe me if I did, I would've done it already."

"Maybe Emily knows." Quinn suggests. "Maybe that's the reason why she's been haunting you in your dreams. Maybe she wants you to destroy it for her. So Damon can't use it."

"Well, she could've just said so, instead of giving me the cryptic messages and freaky dreams." Bonnie mutters, glancing down at the amulet.

"Until we figure out how to destroy the amulet, you need to stay as far away from Damon as possible." Stefan advises.

Bonnie fights the urge to roll her eyes. "I've been trying, trust me, but he just keeps showing up."

Stefan pushes himself off the couch. "Quinn, stay here with Bonnie. I'm gonna go find Damon."

Quinn gets up, frowning. "Wait, I'll go with you."

Stefan shakes his head and gestures back to Bonnie. "No, stay here with Bonnie. I won't be long, promise." He pecks her lips before heading out the front door without another word.

Still frowning, Quinn reluctantly sits back down, this time beside Bonnie. "So, what's it like? Being a vampire?" Bonnie asks conversationally.

"Aside from the hunger of human blood and the heightened senses, I'm pretty much just a normal girl. I-" Quinn stops abruptly when her phone starts to vibrate in her pocket. She pulls her phone out and after glancing at the screen, pushes herself off the couch. "Excuse me for a minute." she says to Bonnie before walking into the kitchen.

"Rachel?"

"Finn…he…broke up with me!" Rachel cries.

Quinn's heart sinks. "He what?"

Rachel sniffles. "Yeah, apparently he doesn't want me anymore! He thinks we should take a break…the nerve of him! And right before prom too!" she exclaims, fighting back a sob.

Quinn frowns. "That doesn't make any sense, he's nuts about you! Why would he-"

"That's what I thought!" Rachel all but shouts. "Then he drops this bombshell! Completely out of the blue. I mean, yeah we hit that rough patch during Sectionals, but everything's been wonderful ever since then. In fact, I don't think we've ever been closer! I don't understand, do you think he found someone else? Do you think he wants Santana?"

Quinn shakes her head, quickly shutting down that absurd idea. "Rachel, he doesn't want Santana."

"How do you know? Has he talked to you?"

"No, but…this is Finn we're talking about." she retorts. "He wouldn't dump you for Santana of all people!"

"Maybe she seduced him or something! It's not like she hasn't done it before." she reminds.

Quinn sighs, exasperated. "Santana doesn't want Finn, Rachel."

"Yeah, but she hates me! What if she's just doing this just to make me miserable?" Rachel bursts into tears again at this.

"Well have you asked her about it?" Quinn questions, brow raised.

"No…" Rachel says quietly on the other line.

"Well ask her. See if it's true and if it's not, then at least you know it's not because of Santana." she says calmly.

"If I accuse her of stealing Finn away from me, and it's not true she'll probably kick my ass!" Rachel exclaims.

"Just ask her, don't _accuse_ her, Rachel." she says. "And if she does happen to go off on you, just remind her that she'll have to deal with me if she hurts you."

Rachel sighs heavily, relieved. "God, I love having a vampire best friend, it has so many perks."

Quinn can't help but smile. "Glad to help. Now can I call you back later? I'm kind of in the middle of something."

Rachel makes a disgusted noise. "Ew, you aren't doing it with Stefan right now, are you?"

Quinn rolls her eyes, scoffing. "No, Rachel. I'm not."

"So where are you anyways?" Rachel asks curiously. "You and Stefan just left without much of an explanation."

Quinn starts back toward Bonnie's living room. "It's a long story, Rachel. I'll fill you in when we get back." she promises.

"You better."

Shaking her head, she smiles. "Bye, Rachel." Quinn ends the call and slips her phone back into her pocket, walking back into the room. She pauses at the sight of Bonnie asleep on the sofa, brow slowly furrowing. She hadn't been gone more than a few minutes.

Shrugging, she figures that Bonnie was just exhausted from not getting much sleep from those dreams of hers. She sits down on the chair and pulls out her phone, starting to play a game, every so often looking up to see if Bonnie was okay.

Then suddenly out of nowhere, Bonnie bolts upward, gasping for air, effectively scaring the crap out of her. Quinn looks at her, startled, "Are you okay?"

Bonnie slowly turns her head, quietly regarding her for a moment before nodding. "I'm fine." she says calmly.

Quinn stares at her skeptically, "Are you sure?

Bonnie nods, smiling distantly. "I'm fine. Everything's fine."

—

Damon's on his way towards the Mystic Grill when he stops abruptly. Sighing tiredly, he turns around to face his brother. "Why am I not surprised that you followed me? You're wasting your time, little brother. I told you, my mind's made up. Nothing you say or do is going to stop me."

Stefan shakes his head. "I can't let you do this, Damon."

Damon steps forward, his blue eyes flashing with anger. "I could rip your heart out and not think twice about it."

Stefan isn't fazed by his threat. "Yeah." he scoffs. "I've heard that before."

Damon's gaze darkens and without warning, slams his brother into a nearby wall. "Do not get in my way, Stefan." he snarls.

—

Bonnie abruptly pushes herself off the couch. "I must go." she says suddenly.

Quinn frowns at this and gets up as well, silently wondering what the hell was up with Bonnie all of a sudden. "Where?"

Ignoring her, Bonnie continues walking past her, but Quinn grabs her arm, preventing her from leaving. "Bonnie?"

"Back to where it all began." she answers, her voice devoid of emotion, shrugging out of Quinn's grasp.

"Bonnie." Quinn calls to her. "Bonnie?" She stops, realizing what was going on. "Emily."

Bonnie turns around at this, her hand on the doorknob and shakes her head. "I won't let him have it. It must be destroyed." She sharply slams the door shut behind her, leaving a stunned Quinn there.

Quinn instantly shakes her head and whips out her phone, quickly dialing Stefan's number. Thankfully he answers within the first two rings. "Is something wrong?"

"It's Bonnie." she nods. "I think Emily is possessing her. One minute she was Bonnie and then she fell asleep and when she woke up, she wasn't. She told me _'I won't let him have it. It must be destroyed' _and then she just left."

"Okay, where do you think she went?" Stefan asks.

"I don't know." Quinn shrugs, at a loss. "Wait." Her eyes widen in realization. "Fell's Church, isn't that where Bonnie said that's where Emily took her in her dreams?"  
>"Right. I'll go find her. You stay there just incase she comes back."<p>

"Okay, be careful."

"Don't worry, I will." he assures. "Love you."

"Love you too." she replies, hanging up.

Stefan closes his phone and turns around only to find that Damon had disappeared. He swears loudly, realizing that Damon had been listening in, and quickly heads off after his brother.

—

It doesn't take long for Damon to hunt down Bonnie in the middle of the woods near the ruins of Fell's Church. "Hello, Emily." he greets, stepping forward out of the shadows. "You look different."

Emily stops and turns around at the sound of his voice. "There's a reason why I made sure my crystal found Bonnie, Damon." she informs. "I won't let you do it."

His gaze darkens as he moves closer to her. "We had a deal." he hisses.

"Things are different now." she sighs. "I need to protect my family."

"I protected your family." he throws back through gritted teeth. "You owe me."

Emily nods. "I know and I'm sorry."

"You're about to be a lot more than that." he growls before lunging at he. Emily doesn't even flinch, waving her arm and sending him flying back into a tree, impaling him on a tree branch. He lets out a guttural groan, his hands unconsciously going to his stomach where the branch was sticking out of. But before he can even try to get himself down, Stefan appears out of nowhere and helps his brother out. Damon quickly brushes himself off while Stefan turns to Emily/Bonnie.

"Stefan." she greets curtly.

"Hello, Emily." he greets back.

"These people don't deserve this." Emily begins. "They should never have to know such evil."

Stefan's brow furrows, confused. "What do you mean evil?

Damon staggers forward but Stefan holds him back with one hand. "Emily, I swear to God, I'll make you regret this." he snarls, one hand still holding his stomach.

"I won't let you unleash them into this world." Emily says firmly, her gaze penetrating.

"Them?" Stefan repeats, brow lifting. He sharply turns to his brother. "What part of the story did you leave out, Damon?.

"What does it matter?" he grunts, slowly forcing himself to stand upright.

"Emily, tell me what you did." Stefan demands, looking at her expectantly.

Looking him straight in the eyes, she responds. "To save her, I had to save them."

Stefan's eyes widen. "You saved everyone in the church?" he asks, incredulous.

Emily nods gravely. "With one comes all."

"I don't care about them." Damon interrupts, shoving past Stefan. "I just want Katherine."

Stefan stares at Damon, shaking his head in disbelief. "I knew I shouldn't have believed a single word that came out of your mouth. This isn't about love, is it? This is about revenge."

"The two aren't mutually exclusive." Damon retorts, trying to get past him again.

"Damon, you can't do this." Stefan exclaims, grabbing his arm once again.

"Why not?" he demands, eyes crazed. "They killed 27 people and they called it a war battle. They deserve whatever they get."

"Twenty-seven vampires, Damon!" he reminds loudly. "They were vampires you can't just bring them back!"

"This town deserves this." he spits, his gaze darkening.

"You're blaming innocent people for something that happened 145 years ago!" Stefan yells, acting as a barrier between his brother and Emily.

"There is nothing innocent about these people and don't think for a second it won't happen again."

"Things are different now." Emily says calmly.

Damon turns on her and pleads with her. "Don't do this."

Emily shakes her head, taking a step back. "I can't free them, Damon. I won't." Without another word, she raises her arms above before yelling, "Incendia!"

Stefan realizes that she had drawn a pentagram in the earth while they had been talking and it burst into flames around her.

"No!" Damon yells, trying again to lunge for her but Stefan holds him back. Emily pulls the amulet from her neck and holds it out in front of her, causing Damon to plead, "No, no, no. Please" over and over again.

She throws the amulet up into the sky where it explodes into a million pieces. Damon gives a frustrated yell and drops to his knees. Emily closes her eyes, the fire slowly extinguishing itself, and when she reopens her eyes, Stefan had a feeling that it was Bonnie who was standing before them now and not Emily.

Damon, still clearly outraged, exposes his fangs and launches himself at Bonnie. Stefan immediately tries to stop him but thankfully Bonnie's flung out of his brother's way before he can hurt her. Damon instead tackles the person who had pushed Bonnie out of the way. Quinn.

Stefan snarls viciously and blurs over to them, quickly throwing Damon off her. "Quinn, are you okay?"

"I'm just fantastic." she huffs, taking Stefan's hand and hoisting herself off the ground. Stefan pulls her into his arms for a quick embrace. Touching the side of her neck, which was already quickly healing, she makes a disgruntled noise and glares over at Damon. "I really don't appreciate you biting me, Damon!"

"Yeah, well you weren't my target, Blondie." Damon snaps, his gaze moving over to Bonnie, who still seemed to be in shock.

Quinn walks over to her and offers a hand, which Bonnie gratefully takes. "T-thank you." Bonnie says shakily, smiling weakly. She hesitates for a moment before giving Quinn a hug.

Though surprised, Quinn gladly returns the hug. "No problem." she chuckles.

When they pull away, Quinn turns and looks back at Stefan. "We should probably get her home." she suggests. Stefan nods in agreement and glances at Damon, only to find that he had disappeared once again.

Sighing, Quinn asks, "Do you think he's alright?"

Stefan shakes his head. "Probably not."

—

After Quinn and Stefan drop Bonnie off at her grandmother's house - they didn't want to leave her at her house alone without protection - they head back to the boarding house.

"Do you think Damon's still here?" Quinn asks, following Stefan up the porch and waiting beside him as he knocks on the door.

Stefan just shrugs and patiently waits for Zach. They waited a few moments before looking at each other questioningly.

"Maybe he's not home?" Quinn suggests.

Stefan reaches forward and twists the doorknob. "He wouldn't leave the door unlocked if he was." He exhales deeply before pushing the door open and stepping inside. He walks into the living room with Quinn on his heels.

"Zach?" he calls out, getting no response. When he hears Quinn gasp, he immediately spins around. "What-"

He stops, his gaze following where her line of view was. It was Zach. He was lying on the floor behind the sofa, completely still, eyes shut. Stefan didn't need to check to see if he was alright. He already knew he wasn't.

"He's dead." Quinn realizes, her gaze darts back to him. "Do you think Damon…?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if he did." he sighs, knowing all too well this was how his brother operated. "He tends to do stupid things when he's emotional."

"I resent that remark." a voice scoffs.

Stefan and Quinn both look up to see Damon walking down the staircase, mouth stained red.

"Then enlighten us on why you killed Zach." Stefan demands, folding his arms across his chest. "Cause I felt like it." Damon responds easily, heading over to where the alcohol was kept. "Plain and simple."

Stefan stares at him, brow raised. "So this has nothing to do with the fact that your only chance you had of freeing Katherine is now gone?"

Damon just shrugs, decidedly ignoring Stefan in favor of pouring himself some scotch.

Quinn tentatively walks up to him and touches his shoulder. "You know, Damon, you can talk to us. You don't have to keep your feelings bottled up. We know this is hard for you."

Damon shrugs her hand off his shoulder and straightens up, whipping around. "You've got some nerve, trying to comfort me when you're the one who helped to make sure that I never freed her."

Quinn steps away from him, nodding understandingly. "You're right, I'm sorry."

Damon snorts and downs his drink before going to pour himself another one. "You're not sorry, neither one of you is." he spits. "But whatever, I'll find another way to bring her back. There's always another way."

Quinn purses her lips together. "And if there isn't?" she wonders.

Damon glances over his shoulder at her. "Don't you worry, there is."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that Salvatore." a voice says. Everyone turns around to see that it was Lexi.

Damon throws his head back and groans. "As if my day couldn't get any worse." He quickly downs his second drink before deciding to just drink straight from the bottle.

"Lexi what are you doing here?"

"Had to make sure that you two kids were alright before I headed to the city that never sleeps." she responds, leaning against the open doorway. "I see that you two are in once piece and Damon's a wreck so I take it that everything worked out a-okay." she smirks, folding her arms across her chest.

Damon takes a long swig from his bottle before glaring back at her. "Lexi, do us all a favor and go stake yourself."

Lexi rolls her eyes and glances over at Quinn, jerking her thumb toward Damon. "This kid and his sweet talk. It's enough to make a girl blush." Quinn chuckles.

"Fuck off, Lexi." Damon says wearily.

"God, you sure got a stick up your ass tonight." she remarks. "Would it make you feel better if I told you that your little sweetheart _wasn't_ in the tomb?"

Everyone stops and looks at her. "What?"

Damon dismisses her with a snort. "You're lying."

Lexi arches her eyebrow challengingly. "You wanna bet?"

"Lexi are you being serious?" Stefan asks seriously.

"Dead serious." she nods. "That bitch is alive and most definitely not rotting in a tomb like you think she is."

"How do you know?" Damon demands, sharply turning around and storming up to her.

"I met her once at Gloria's bar in Chicago…1983 as I recall." Lexi responds simply. "She's pretty much a bitch, but I pretended to be her friend. That is one girl you do not want as your enemy."

Quinn frowns. "But if you knew she wasn't in that tomb, why didn't you tell us?"

"Now where would've been the fun in that?" Lexi questions, smiling to herself. She then looks at them expectantly. "Now who's going to invite me in?"


	20. Prom Night

After the whole fiasco was over with in Mystic Falls, Quinn and Stefan return to Lima while Lexi left for New York. From then on things went back to normal - well as normal as two vampires living in Ohio could get - and for the first time in a while neither one of them was worried about what trouble Damon would cause next. Or at least that's what Stefan thought.

Noticing how quiet Quinn's been today, he decides to ask her about it en route to her locker, "You okay? You haven't said much today. Worried about prom? Nationals?" he guesses.

"No. I'm worried about Damon." she responds with a sigh.

Brow furrowed, he asks, "Why?"

Quinn turns around to face him when they reach her locker. "I know it's not what you want to hear, but we haven't heard from him in weeks, ever since he found out about Katherine. We don't even know where he is. What are we going to do?"

"Nothing." he retorts, partially surprised that they were even having this conversation. "We're going to leave him alone."

Her eyebrow quirks. "But don't you care that he's hurting? He is your brother." she reminds. "Your brother who just found out the love of his life has been alive this entire time and hasn't once sought him out."

"Which just proves that Katherine didn't really care about him." he sighs. "I tried to tell him, Quinn but he didn't listen. It's his own fault that he's probably wallowing in his own misery right now." He shrugs carelessly.

"You know maybe this will be the thing to change him." she begins thoughtfully, turning to open her locker. "Maybe he'll see the error of his ways and-"

"He won't change, Quinn." he cuts off, scoffing at the very idea of Damon being anyone other than, well _Damon_.

She frowns and glances back at him. "But you did." she returns pointedly.

Leaning against the row of lockers, he sighs, "Only because I fell in love with you. I had a reason to change. Damon's not going to change. If anything this whole thing is just going to make him even more of a dick."

"He might surprise you." she responds shortly before adding with a sidelong glance, "It wouldn't be the first time I was surprised by a Salvatore."

"Just forget about him, Quinn." he sighs, his tone bordering on pleading. "Damon's a big boy. He can handle himself."

"Okay, fine." she nods, reluctantly dropping the subject.

"I'll see you at lunch?" Stefan questions.

She nods and leans in for a quick kiss. "Love you." she murmurs.

"Love you too." They kiss once more before Stefan turns around and starts back down the adjacent hallway to get to his next class.

Quinn is left alone for all but a minute before she's bombarded by Rachel who greets her by waving around the latest addition of the school paper in her face. "Have you read today's paper?" she demands, pulling back.

Quinn stares at her quizzically, shaking her head. "Uh…no."

"Well let me enlighten you on what it says." Rachel says sharply, folding out the paper in front of her before searching for the piece she was looking for. "Aha! Here it is, according to the _Muckraker_, Finn has been seen out with another girl on numerous occasions!" Rachel lifts her gaze to meet hers. "Can you believe it?"

Sighing, she rolls her eyes and snatches the paper of out Rachel's hand. "You should know better than to read that garbage, Rachel." She crumbles the paper into a ball and tosses it behind her where it lands in a nearby trashcan. "It's no better than Jacob's blog."

Rachel purses her lips. "But what if it's true? I don't understand how could Finn move on so quickly! And so close to prom too! I-I thought we had something special…how could he do this to me?"

Quinn shrugs, at at much of a loss as she was on the matter. "Maybe he's freaked out about Nationals. Maybe he wants to put all his energy and focus on that."

Rachel frowns, turning on her heel when Quinn starts them off toward the choir room. "But couldn't he have just said that? Instead he just said we should take a break and that's it!"

Turning the corner, she shrugs again unknowingly. "I don't know what to tell you Rachel. This whole thing is just so unlike Finn. I honestly don't know what to make of it."

Rachel shakes her head, shoulders slumped in defeat. "And you know what's the worst part?"

Quinn looks back at her curiously. "Uh, what could be worse than having the guy you love dump you?"

Rachel stares back at her in disbelief and exclaims, "Uh, how about no longer having a prom date?" she questions.

Quinn fights the urge to roll her eyes as they enter the choir room. "You're ridiculous, Rachel. Not having a prom date isn't that big of a deal."

"Says the girl who already has a date!" Rachel huffs, following her into the choir room and taking two of the seats in the front row.

Quinn just shakes her head and patiently waits for this meeting to start. In the meantime she watches as Mercedes walks through the door and notices that she was looking rather glum.

Frowning at this, when the other girl gets close enough, Quinn asks, "Mercedes are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine." she says in a very unconvincing manner, climbing up to the second row and taking her usual seat next to Kurt.

Quinn wants to question her about it but before she gets the chance to Mr. Schuester walks in and claps his hands to get the room's attention.

"Alright guys." he greets in his usual jovial manner. "As you all are well aware, a big event's coming up very soon. Prom." He turns to the whiteboard behind him and writes the word across it.

Off to the side, Sam groans. "Mr. Schue, please tell me we're not doing songs about prom."

Mr. Schuester shakes his head, turning around to regard the room. "Nope. We _are_ the prom. Figgins has asked us to perform." He smiles brightly, waiting on their enthusiastic reactions but instead is met with less than thrilled murmurs. His smile falters in response.

"Now I know this isn't ideal, with nationals coming up, but we don't have a choice and we could really use the money." he sighs, pulling up a stool. "But I know that prom is a special rite of passage. I wanna make sure all of you guys get a chance to enjoy the dance too. So we're gonna stagger the performances so that each and every one of you has a lot of time to dance with your dates."

He perks up a little figuring this would appease everyone but Mercedes just rolls her eyes at this and abruptly gets out of her seat, murmuring an "Excuse me" before leaving the room.

Mr. Schuester frowns at her sudden departure and glances back at everyone else questioningly. "What's wrong with Mercedes?" he wonders.

Mostly everyone shrugs, but Tina speaks up, explaining, "She doesn't have a date to prom."

Sighing, Kurt gets up out of his seat and follows in Mercedes' wake. "I'll go talk to her."

—

"C'mon, Mercedes." Santana sighs, exasperated, during lunch. "Prom is like our Oscars, it's seriously the most important night of our lives. You _have_ to go."

Mercedes roughly stabs a piece of lettuce from her salad with her fork. "No one asked me, Santana. And I really don't feel like being the pathetic girl flying solo." she grumbles.

Brittany frowns from across the table. "Hey, there's nothing wrong with that. I don't have a date. I'm just going to dance and then all your dates are going to ignore you and come dance with me. So your dates are really my dates." she smirks, popping a fruit snack in her mouth.

Everyone laughs at her comment. "You all be laughing now, but you'll be singing a different tune when all your dates are dancing with me." Brittany says seriously. "And Stefan will be the first one unable to resist my killer dance moves."

She grins over at Stefan who chuckles despite himself and nods. "Whatever you say, Brittany."

Quinn smiles too. "If you get him to dance, Britt, then you can have him." she laughs, lightly nudged Stefan. "It's like pulling teeth getting him to dance. It's a wonder that he danced at our wedding." Stefan playfully glares back at her.

Santana smirks at them both. "You of all people should know that Stefan prefers to do his dancing horizontally, Q."

Both Quinn and Stefan turn beet red at her comment and Kurt nearly chokes on his apple juice.

"Wow, TMI." he coughs, lightly patting his chest.

"You know I don't have a date to prom either, Mercedes." Rachel brings up, looking over at the girl. "So you wouldn't be the only one 'flying solo'."

"You can come with us, Mercedes." Stefan offers, exchanging a glance with Quinn who nods agreeingly.

Mercedes snorts, reluctantly lifting her gaze from her food. "And be the third wheel? No thanks."

"Somebody may still ask you." Rachel says, giving her a reassuring smile.

"That's what I told her earlier." Kurt pipes up, giving Mercedes a sidelong glance.

Mercedes shakes her head, sighing heavily. "It's this Saturday. Everyone who's planning on going already has a date." Shaking her head, she drops her fork onto her plate. "You know, I just wanted to be Cinderella. Just for one night. One night where a guy would look at me under those corny paper streamers and say, 'You look so beautiful'. Then he'd take my hand and ask me to dance." She looks around the table expectantly, "Isn't that what prom is supposed to be about?"

Rachel abruptly stands up from her chair. "You're not going to go to prom alone, Mercedes. You'll go with me."

Santana bursts into a fit of laughter while Mercedes just slides down further into her chair. "That's even more depressing than going alone."

Rachel frowns at that remark, then shakes her head, maneuvering around the table to come to Mercedes' side. "No, hear me out. I have a plan."

"I'd run away if I were you, Mercedes." Santana advises, her hand still hovering in front of her mouth to try and contain her laughter.

Rachel promptly takes Mercedes' hand, ignoring Santana altogether. "C'mon, I'll explain it to you."

Mercedes frowns, finding herself being pulled up out of her chair. "But why do we-" Before she can get another word out, Rachel drags her out of the cafeteria.

—

During glee rehearsal later that day it was decided by the glee girls - and Kurt - that they would go shopping for last minute prom accessories. "Should we invite Mercedes and Rachel to come with us?" Tina asks quietly, looking over at Santana, Brittany, Quinn, and Kurt expectantly.

Santana frowns. "Why, it's not like they're going to prom."

Quinn shrugs and glances over at the piano where Mercedes and Rachel were talking. "Maybe they would want to come. It would be rude not to ask, right?"

Santana sighs, rolling her eyes. "Whatever." Turning around, she calls out, "Aretha, Hobbit, come here!"

Mercedes and Rachel both share a confused look before walking over to them. "What's up?" Mercedes wants to know.

"We wanted to know if you wanted to go shopping after rehearsal. Me and Britts both need some shoes to go with our prom dresses." Santana explains, arms crossed.

"And I need a sash." Kurt says.

"Okay, we're in." Rachel nods, after silently confirming with Mercedes. "We have yet to find suitable dancing shoes at the Goodwill."

They all frown at this, confused. "Wait, I thought you guys weren't going to prom?" Tina asks.

"Actually, Mercedes and I _are_ going….with Sam." Rachel informs with a proud nod.

Santana raises her brow. "A three way date? Kinky." she smirks.

"It's not like that, Santana." Rachel sighs, shaking her head. "Seeing as how either one of us has dates, and Sam doesn't have a date, we decided to all go together. It's better than not going at all, right?"

Mercedes nods. "It's definitely better than going solo."

Brittany scoffs. "That's what you think."

—

Once Mr. Schuester finally dismissed them, they all head down the hallway together on their way towards the parking lot. Tina glances around at all the prom queen campaign posters adorning the walls as they walked, most of them being for Santana or Lauren Zizes. "Hey, Quinn, why haven't you put up any campaign posters?" she wonders, glancing over at the blonde curiously.

Quinn raises her shoulders in a shrug. "I didn't feel like wasting my money on them. They only ever get defaced anyways."

"Yeah by Santana." Kurt mutters.

Santana shoots him a glare. "Watch yourself teen gay, afores I end you. Besides, I only make them more interesting…more colorful."

"But practically all of us in glee nominated you to run for prom queen," Rachel brings up, brow furrowed. "Why wouldn't you campaign? Don't you want to win?"

"She isn't campaigning because she knows everyone's going to vote for me and doesn't want to suffer the public humiliation." Santana smirks.

Quinn rolls her eyes and decidedly ignores Santana's comment. "I've told you guys before, being prom queen isn't a big deal to me. If people vote for me then that's fine and if people don't vote for me, then that's fine too. I'm just looking to have a fun night with you guys and Stefan. I don't want to waste my time and money just to increase my chances of winning a stupid plastic crown."

Santana shakes her head, her hand clutching her heart. "The HBIC formerly known as Quinn Fabray is truly no more because she wouldn't be caught dead saying those words."

"You should be glad Quinn's not running, Santana." Mercedes chuckles, pushing the front doors open and glancing back at her. "Cause is she was, you wouldn't stand a chance at prom queen."

"Watch yourself Aretha, don't make me put you on my hit list too." Santana threatens.

Quinn rolls her eyes, smiling despite herself, and links her arm with Santana's, discreetly leading the Latina away from Mercedes. "Relax, San. You've got prom queen in the bag. No need to get testy."

"Oh, I know that." Santana scoffs confidently. "And once I'm crowned prom queen, I will regain my place as most popular girl in school."

Quinn slightly nudges her, the lot of them heading toward Kurt's big beast of a car. "You shouldn't dwell on your popularity so much, San. Don't let it consume you like it did me."

"Too late." Rachel mutters under her breath, climbing into the back seat of Kurt's car.

Quinn sighs, glancing back at her. "Seriously, San."

Santana rolls her eyes and hops into the back of Kurt's car next to Brittany. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I hear ya. Popularity. Bad."

—

While Quinn was out with the girls Stefan figured it would be the perfect time to get her a corsage. After picking up a gardenia from the local flower shop he heads back to his car, stopping only when he thought he saw someone familiar from across the street out of the corner of his eye. Brow furrowed, he turns his head and glances around. Whomever he had seen had looked a lot like…

Shaking his head, he quickly pushes that thought out of his mind and continues on his way. He had probably just imagined the whole thing or merely saw someone who just looked like _her._

"Looking for someone?"

Stunned, he spins around, eyes wide. "Katherine."

Katherine smiles sweetly up at him, looking exactly like she did 145 years ago. "Hello, Stefan. Miss me?"

Speechless, he only finds himself able to stare at her. Her gaze drifts down to the corsage box he has in his hand. "Aw, is that for me?" she questions, eyes lighting up. "How sweet."

Stefan yanks the box out of her reach before she can grab onto it. "What are you doing here, Katherine?"

She shrugs innocently and glances around. "Thought I'd see what all the fuss was about. Heard that this town is the new hangout for vampires." She raises a brow, clearly unimpressed. "Although I can't see why. This place is a dump."

Stefan just rolls his eyes while Katherine looks up at him curiously. "You know, Stefan you aren't as surprised as I thought you'd be." she comments.

"I've known for weeks that you haven't been locked up in that tomb all these years, Katherine." he responds. "I guess I knew that somewhere along the line our paths would cross once again."

"Betcha didn't think it would be so soon." she smirks.

Unamused, Stefan sighs and looks at her expectantly. "Just tell me what you're doing here, Katherine."

"Maybe I missed you." she says innocently, lifting her gaze and leaning into his body. "Is that an acceptable reason?"

His eyes narrow as he takes a step back from her. "What game are you playing?"

She smiles coyly at him. "Why wanna play with me?" she proposes, brow arched.

Stefan shrugs. "I don't know, how can I play if I don't know the rules?"

Katherine shakes her head, then leans into him and says in a low, alluring voice, "No rules, Stefan. Don't you remember? No rules." she whispers, pulling back slowly.

When Stefan blinks he finds himself standing along on the sidewalk, Katherine nowhere in sight. Shaking his head and exhaling deeply, he pulls out his phone and scrolls through his contacts before pressing the call button. He places his phone up to his ear and patiently waits for an answer. A few rings pass before Damon finally answers.

"Well, well, well, to what do I owe this phone call, brother?"

"Damon, where are you?"

"Far away from you just like you've always wanted. " Damon replies. Stefan stays silent for a moment. He knows if he tells Damon about Katherine being in town he'll be back in Lima in the blink of an eye. And God only knows what trouble those two could cause together.

Damon breathes an exasperated sigh at the silence lingering between them. "Why are you calling, Stefan? Don't tell me you miss me already."

"Hardly." he snorts.

"Then why call?" Stefan could easily picture Damon rolling his eyes right about now.

"Guess who's in Lima, Damon?"

"I don't know, Sarah Palin?" Damon throws out absently.

"It's Katherine, Damon." he sighs. "She's in Lima."

Silence.

Stefan frowns at this. "Damon?" he asks.

More silence.

"Damon, you still there?" he asks again, looking back at his phone to ensure the connection hadn't been cut off.

"Yeah." Damon's voice finally comes, oddly devoid of emotion.

Stefan purses his lips together. "Well, did you hear what I said?" he inquires.

"Yeah, I did. What do you want me to say, Stefan?" Damon asks, now annoyed.

Stefan sighs to himself, shaking his head. "I just thought I'd let you know."

There was a long pause before Damon asks, "What does she want?"

Stefan runs a hand through his hair and shrugs. "I have no idea. But whatever it is, it can't be good….I want her gone, Damon."

"You just want everyone gone, don't you baby bro?" Damon comments.

"I need her gone Damon." Stefan says through gritted teeth, agitated. "The longer she's here, the more damage she's more likely to do."

"Here's a thought. Why don't you just…I don't know…kill her?"

Stefan rolls his eyes. "She's 374 years older than I am, Damon. Attacking her would not only be a death sentence for me but for everyone I care about."

"You're being overly dramatic, little brother."

"You and I both know that I'm not." Stefan retorts.

"Then I'll do it." Damon says abruptly, taking Stefan by surprise. "I'd love to be the one to drive a stake through her heart."

Stefan frowns, slightly unconvinced. "Really?"

"Besides, I've got nothing better to do."

"A few weeks ago you were hell bent on freeing Katherine so that you two could spend the rest of eternity together, now you want to kill her?" Stefan repeats, skeptical.

"Pretty much." Damon says shortly. "She's the cause of my misery, so it seems only fair that I be the one to rip her head off."

Stefan nods, impressed. "So when do you want to do this?" he asks curiously.

"As soon as I can get there." Damon answers. "I'll call you when I'm back in town."

Stefan nods. "Okay, but-"

Damon hangs up before he can finish his sentence. Sighing, he shakes his head and scrolls through his contacts before calling Quinn.

—

"So you're telling me that Katherine is in Lima?" Quinn repeats, brow raised. Stefan had just finished telling her everything that had happened while she was out.

Stefan nods his head, pacing around the living room. "Unfortunately."

Quinn looks back at him from the couch. "Well, what do we do?"

"I called Damon he's on his way." he responds, brow furrowed in thought.

Her brow lifts in surprise. "Really?"

Stefan nods, briefly glancing back at her. "I can't take down Katherine alone and he was more than willing to help."

Quinn uncrosses her legs and shifts on the couch, a confused expression sliding over her face. "Really? But just a few weeks ago…"

"Yeah, I know. I was thinking the same thing. But Damon's now hell bent on killing her so I wasn't going to question his motives."

"Did Katherine say what she wanted?" she asks, looking at him closely.

Stefan shakes his head, turning to meet her gaze so she knew he was being sincere. "Nope."

Quinn sighs, falling back against the back of the sofa. "Why is it when we've solved one problem, another one arises right after?" she wonders, her gaze moving to Stefan when he sits down next to her. "Just bad luck, I guess."

"Practically my life story." Quinn mutters glumly, turning and burying her face into his chest. "Except for you, of course." she quickly adds, catching his look.

He smile and wraps an arm around her. "What do you think Katherine wants?" Quinn exchanges a glance with Stefan who just shakes his head.

"I wish I knew." he sighs, leaning back and staring up at the ceiling. "I _really_ wish I knew."

—

A few hours later Quinn and Stefan were lying on the couch contently watching television when someone started pounding loudly on their door. Sighing, Stefan reluctantly pushes himself off the couch and goes over to the front door. "Hello Damon." he nods, pulling back the door.

"Baby bro." Damon greets, smelling like he had just taken a bath in scotch. "Long time no see."

Stefan wrinkles his nose and takes a step back from the smell radiating off him. "God Damon you reek."

Coming up behind Stefan, Quinn comments, "You know you shouldn't drink and drive."

Damon rolls his eyes at her and scoffs. "Why? Because it'll kill me?" Ignoring Quinn's glare, he gestures to the doorway. "So which one of you is going to invite me in? Or am I going to have to stay here all night?"

"We can figure out what we're going to do about Katherine right here." Stefan says sternly, folding his arms across his chest.

"C'mon, Stefan." Quinn says quietly, touching his arm. "He is your brother."

Damon nods his head. "Yeah Stefan. Let me in. We're brothers. We're blood."

"Not helping your case, Damon." Stefan remarks, smirking slightly.

"You could just as easily uninvite him." Quinn reminds, sharing a look with him.

Damon scoffs at her, his gaze falling back to his brother. "Whatever, Stefan. We can just as well do business out here. In fact, let's because I only have one thing to say."

Quinn and Stefan look at him expectantly. "Which is?"

Damon smirks, pushing himself away from the doorway. "I've got an idea."

"What is it, Damon?" Stefan sighs, waiting.

"We simply ignore the bitch." Damon says simply, briefly raising his shoulders.

"Is that smart?" Quinn stares at him skeptically.

Damon sighs dramatically. "If Katherine thinks she's being ignored, it'll lure her out." he explains. "She'll make a move."

Stefan considers this for a moment before inquiring, "Yeah, then what?"

Damon pretends to ponder this question, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Stake her, rip her head off, something poetic." he glances back at them and shrugs. "We'll see. Call me when she makes her move. See you. I'll be at a bar if you need me."

Quinn purses her lips together before suddenly deciding to follow Damon outside. "Damon wait." she calls after him.

Damon stops and reluctantly turns around to face her. "What?" he asks, annoyed.

Quinn falters under his piercing gaze for a second before clearing her throat and asking, "How are you doing Damon?"

"I'm great." he says with heavy sarcasm. "Actually no, I'm more than that, I'm fantastic."

She folds her arms across her chest defensively. "No need to be sarcastic, it was a simple question."

He regards her closely, eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why do you care, anyways?"

"Because we're family." she says easily.

He arches his eyebrow, clearly amused. "Oh, we're family now, are we?"

"It's clear that you're hurting, Damon." she says quietly, reaching out to him when he tries to walk away. "I just want to help."

He shrugs her hand off and sharply turns around. "The only thing that will help me now is some whiskey and the satisfaction of ripping Katherine's head from her body, Quinn."

"So you're saying you're completely over Katherine?" she questions, brow raised.

"That's exactly what I'm saying." he spits.

"You spent 145 years loving her, Damon and that's okay." she hesitates. "You don't need to act like you didn't. And trying to push away those feelings with alcohol isn't going to solve your problems."

"So what do you suggest I do?" he asks like he cares, fighting the urge to roll his eyes.

"Don't keep what you're feeling bottled up inside. If you want someone to talk to Stefan's-".

"Yeah, like I'm really going to talk to him." he scoffs, turning his body away.

"Then talk to me." she says softly. "Even though you've done some horrible things to me, I want to help you. It wasn't that long ago where I was in a position similar to yours."

"Oh really?" He finds that hard to believe. "You were pining for a vampire for 145 years and-"

"Not what I meant and you know it." she interrupts tiredly. "I just mean that not to long ago, I bottled up my feelings, put on a façade, acted like I didn't care and that nothing anybody ever said or did ever affected me."

"And how long did that last?" Damon questions, his tone for once no longer scornful or mocking.

"Up until last summer." she admits. "When I found out I had cancer I realized I had been wrong to do all those things. I had been wrong to let myself become a horrible person. Into thinking that suppressing my feelings was okay."

Damon scowls. "I really hate you." he mutters. Quinn, even though she knows it's a horrible thing to say, can't help but laugh at this. "Why?"

"Because you're like Stefan." he groans. "Always right."

Quinn chuckles. "Is that why you hate him so much?"

"Basically, yeah." Rolling her eyes, she glances back at Stefan, who was watching them closely from the porch. "You Salvatore boys are something else." She turns back to Damon, shaking her head.

"Yeah well you yourself are a horse of a different color, Quinn Fabray." he remarks, gaze flickering back toward her before disappearing into the night.

—

"So how exactly am I going to get in?" Damon inquires, glancing at the high school distastefully. "I can't just waltz into a high school prom on my own. I'll look like a total creeper."

"Yeah, even more so than you already do." Stefan responds, chuckling mildly as he and Quinn walked across the student parking lot, Damon along side them.

Damon rolls his eyes, unamused. "Ha. Ha. Hilarious, brother."

"Merely stating a fact." he shrugs, sharing a smile with Quinn.

"But seriously I need a date." Damon responds as they near the school's entrance. "I can't go in alone."

Sighing, Quinn's gaze darts around for a familiar face. She spots Rachel walking up to the school with Mercedes and Sam and lets go of Stefan's arm. "Hold that thought for one second, Damon. I'll be right back." she says to them quickly before calling after Rachel.

The brunette turns around at the sound of her name being called and smiles brightly upon seeing Quinn. "Hello, Quinn. You look lovely."

"Thanks." She briefly nods to Sam and Mercedes before taking Rachel aside. "Can I ask for a favor?" she asks hopefully.

Rachel nods, brow slightly furrowed. "Sure, what is it?"

"Do you think you can be Damon's escort inside?" she asks pleadingly, gesturing back to where Stefan and Damon were walking.

"Damon?" Rachel repeats, eyes widening. "As in Stefan's brother, Damon? The guy who attacked Brittany and Santana? The guy who-"

"Rachel, I'm not asking you to be his date." she cuts off impatiently, Stefan and Damon coming up to them. "Merely his escort so he gets inside."

Having been listening in on their conversation, Damon eyes Rachel up and down with interest. "I like them feisty." he says to his brother, who merely rolls his eyes.

"And I like them human." Rachel retorts, glaring back at him.

"But where's the fun in that?" he questions with a knowing smirk.

Rachel turns back to Quinn, huffing. "Why is he here anyways?" she demands, arms crossing moodily.

"It's a really long story that I'll tell you about tomorrow, promise. Just can you do me this one favor, please?" Quinn begs.

Rachel sighs, exasperated, before reluctantly nodding. "Fine." she agrees.

—

Quinn's standing off to the side watching Sam, Puck, and Artie perform their rendition of "Friday" when Stefan comes up behind her. "Something wrong?"

She turns around and sighs, taking one of the cups Stefan had brought over from the punch bowl. "I'm just…I don't see how I'm supposed to enjoy tonight when your ex is lurking around town." she admits anxiously. "We haven't seen or heard from her since you encountered her, what if tonight is the night she finally makes her move?"

"Even if Katherine does decide to make her move tonight, nothing is going to happen to you or your friends, okay?" he assures, touching her cheek so that she met his gaze. "Damon and I will make sure of it. We won't let anything happen. Promise. Just try and enjoy tonight, okay?"

Quinn smiles weakly and nods. "Okay."

—

Quinn claps encouragingly as Santana and Brittany both make their way up onto stage, even though she had been unaware that they had planned a number together. The music to _Wannabe_ by the Spice Girls starts playing and everyone in the place goes wild. Quinn smiles to herself, it being one of her guilty pleasures and the very song that brought together the Unholy Trinity in the first place during cheer champ before freshman year.

"C'mon Q!" Santana calls to her from the stage. Quinn blinks, realizing her and Brittany were beckoning her to the stage to join them. "It's our jam!"

Smiling embarrassedly, Quinn shakes her head furiously and holds onto Stefan as she was suddenly put on the spot. "Quinn Fabray get your skinny white ass up here!" Santana exclaims. "You are so doing this number with us!"

Turning away, Quinn buries her face into Stefan's chest and shakes her head, completely mortified that her best friends were doing this to her. Then to her horror, she felt Stefan start leading her towards the stage. "Stefan!" she exclaims, eyes wide. "You traitor!"

Stefan just laughs. "You'll thank me later."

When he gets her close enough to the stage, Santana grabs a hold of her arm and pulls her on stage. "Thank you lover boy." Santana winks while Brittany hands Quinn a microphone.

"I really hate you right now." Quinn says into the Latina's ear as Brittany pushes her further toward center stage.

Santana just laughs and responds instead with, "_I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want!_"

Brittany comes up on the other side of Quinn and says, "_So tell me what you want, what you really, really want!_"

They both nudge Quinn into singing the next part. "_I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want!"_

"It's the unholy trinity, bitches!" Santana yells into her mic, causing everyone in the room to go crazy. Quinn takes this moment as her chance to sneak off the makeshift stage, but Santana and Brittany both hold her back.

Santana shakes her head. "Nu-uh, Q. We be finishing this song!"

Quinn mentally groans before giving in and continuing the song with Brittany and Santana.

—

Stefan laughs and cheers on Quinn, as well as Brittany and Santana, as they pumped up everyone in the auditorium. He glances over at Rachel, who was standing next to him and Damon, and notices that she kept looking around the gym. He leans into her so she would be able to hear him over the music. "Something wrong?"

"I haven't seen Finn anywhere." she responds, still trying to look through the crowd. "I'm really worried."

"Maybe he decided not to come." he suggests, turning and looking around as well.

Rachel shakes her head. "I talked to Kurt and he said that Finn had left to pick up…" she hesitates. "his date. Just before he and Blaine headed over here. You don't think that he got into an accident or something?" she turns to him sharply, eyes wide with panic.

"I'm sure he's fine." he says calmly. "He probably went out to eat before coming here. Lots of kids do that."

Rachel nods her head, relaxing slightly. "Right. I'm sure that's it. He probably just-"

"What does this Finn guy look like exactly?" Damon asks suddenly deciding to join in on the conversation.

Rachel starts describing Finn to him, forgetting momentarily that she despised him. "Well, uh, he's super tall and-"

Damon scans the gym for a short second before saying, "Found him."

Rachel whips around. "What? Where?"

Damon glances back at Stefan and jerks his head to the side, silently urging his brother to follow his gaze.

Stefan does so and his jaw tightens at the sight. "You stay here, wait for my signal." he says to Damon under his breath.

Rachel stops her search for Finn and sharply turns her head, watching as Stefan walks away. "Wait, where are you going? I don't see Finn! Where-"

"Just keep calm." Damon advises. "And shut the hell up, you're becoming super annoying."

Rachel scoffs at him and turns on her heel before storming off to find her other friends. Damon just shakes his head and lets his gaze fall back to the stage, particularly to the pretty blonde in the blue dress, who was singing her heart out with her two best friends.

—

Quinn watches from the stage as Stefan makes his way through the crowd of students. Her brow furrows slightly at the sight as she silently follows him with her eyes. She could feel her eyes go wide when she sees to whom he was walking to. Finn was standing a few feet away, near one of the exits, and next to him on his arm was… Katherine. (She knew it was Katherine because Stefan had once shown her a picture he had kept of her from 1864).

—

Stefan exhales deeply as he makes his way through the rambunctious crowd and walks up to Finn and his 'date'. Finn is the first to notice him walking over to them. "Hey, man." he greets, giving him an acknowledging nod.

Stefan nods. "Hey, Finn." he greets back, eyeing Katherine out of the corner of his eye. "Who's your date?"

"Oh, this is Katherine." he introduces brightly. "Katherine meet Stefan. Stefan meet Katherine."

Katherine smiles politely at him and holds out her hand. "It's nice to meet you Stefan." she nods.

"Likewise, Katherine." he smiles, gripping her hand and shaking it firmly, crushing a few of her bones in the process. Her smile falters for a brief second as yanks her hand out of his grasp. "My, my, you certain have a firm grip, Stefan." she comments.

Stefan shakes his head, feigning concern. "So sorry, did I hurt you?"

Katherine shakes her head, her smile terse. "Nope. Not at all." Turning to Finn, who was completely oblivious to what was going on, she asks, "Would you be a dear and get me something to drink, Finn?"

Finn nods. "Okay."

Stefan waits until he's out of sight before turning to Katherine. "You need to leave now." he says, his gaze stern.

Katherine pouts. "Why do you have to be so mean to me, Stefan? You're hurting my feelings."

"What are you doing with Finn?" he inquires. "Leave him alone."

Katherine smirks at this. "Are you jealous of him, Stefan?"

"Hardly." he scoffs.

Katherine glances back at the refreshment table where Finn was, talking to some mohawked boy. "He's cute in that boyish way and a sweetheart." she responds. "Very fun to play with."

"After a 145 years, you still haven't changed at all, have you Katherine?" He shakes his head, unsurprised. "You still treat guys as if there were playthings."

"I haven't changed, but you have." she drawls, stepping forward and running a finger down his chest. "You're stronger. Meaner. Very sexy."

Stefan sharply pushes her hand away. "Don't flirt with me, Katherine. I'm not Damon. I haven't spent 145 years obsessed with you." he responds coldly.

"No, instead you've spent 145 years playing Mr. Ripper." she corrects. "I have to tell you Stefan, I did not like that Stefan very much."

Shaking his head at her, he frowns at her, confused. "What are you talking about Katherine? We haven't seen each other since before I was turned."

Katherine quirks an eyebrow, then nods. "True, but that doesn't mean _I_ haven't see _you_."

His eyes narrow in response. "Are you telling me you've been spying on me this entire time?"

"I've been checking up on you throughout the years." she admits, stepping closer to him again. "Waiting."

"Waiting for what?"

"Waiting for that sweet Stefan I originally fell in love with to return." she explains, sliding her fingers up and down the length of his tie. "The sadistic ripper was just not the Stefan I wanted….although I admit, you were a very sexy ripper."

"You never answered my question, Katherine." he says impatiently, pulling away. "Why are you here?"

"It's very simple Stefan." she sighs, leaning back into him and lifting her gaze to meet his. "I want you back. Back in 1864 I promised you that we would be together again, and now the time has come."

"I'm married, Katherine." he promptly informs her, taking a step back. "I want nothing to do with you."

"You say that now but you loved me once upon a time." she reminds. "You could learn to do it again."

"But I was never in love with you, Katherine." he points out. "You compelled me so none of my feelings were real."

Katherine chuckles, looking up at him through her eyelashes. "Believe what you want, Stefan. But I know the truth. And deep down, so do you."

Stefan arches his eyebrow. "The truth?" he repeats. He moves right in front of her, his gaze darkening. "Well the truth is Katherine, you're the same lying selfish, manipulative bitch that you've always been."

Katherine's gaze turns cold. "I would watch what you say if I were you, Stefan. I might take it the wrong way and be forced to take it out on someone you care about." she says tersely, her gaze flickering over his shoulder. "Namely that cute blonde dancing on stage right now."

Stefan forces her out of the gym in one fluid movement and roughly slams her into the lockers of the abandoned hallway. "You stay away from her or I swear to god I will rip your heart out." he hisses, his grip on her throat tightening.

Katherine easily pries his hand from around her neck and slams him into the opposing lockers. "I've got over five hundred years on her, Stefan." she informs coolly. "You really think that I can't take her down? I could walk into that gym and rip her heart out in front of the entire school before anybody could even process what happened."

She walks over to him just as he gets back onto his feet. "Get rid of her Stefan." she warns. "Dump her ass, divorce her, do whatever, but if you don't-"

"Nothing you ever say or do will ever make me leave her." he retorts, matching her tone.

"Challenge accepted, Stefan." she smirks. "We'll see how you feel at the end of the night."

"I already hate you, Katherine." he glares at her through hooded eyes. "Anything you do will just make me hate you even more."

Katherine arches her eyebrow, amused more than anything, before slamming her hand through Stefan's chest, her fingers wrapping around his heart. He gasps, immediately brought down to his knees.

"Hate?" Katherine repeats, twisting her hand inside Stefan's chest. "That sounds like the beginning of a love story, Stefan. Not the end of one."

She releases his heart without warning and lets him drop to the floor. When he looks up Katherine was already gone.

Banging his head back against the lockers, he swears and struggles to get back to his feet. Before he can though the gym doors burst open to reveal Quinn. When her gaze falls on him, she gasps. "Oh my god, Stefan!" She rushes over to him and hurriedly kneels down next to him. "What happened?"

"Katherine happened." Damon answers for him, having been half a step behind Quinn. "We got a crazy ex on the loose. You better watch out." he advises to Quinn. "Looks like Katherine's trying to steal your hubby."

Quinn ignores him and glances back at Stefan. "I saw her with Finn from the stage and I then saw you two talking, I wanted to…but I couldn't…are you…how bad is it?" she grimaces, gesturing to his wound.

"Not bad." he assures, wincing slightly as he tries again to get up. "Give me a few minutes and I'll be fine. It's what I get for letting her get to me."

"And provoking her." Damon adds knowingly.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom, to get you some wet paper towels to clean you up." Quinn says, rising from her knees.

"I'd hurry up if I were you, blondie, they are seconds away from announcing Prom Queen and King." Damon says over his shoulder.

"Shut up Damon." she snaps before quickly hurrying down the hallway.

—

"The votes are in." Principal Figgins announces from the makeshift stage. "This is the moment you've all been waiting for where we announce our junior prom king and also prom queen. Roll the drum, please."

Mercedes looks back at Rachel. "Where do you think Quinn disappeared to?" she wonders quietly as Figgins opens the envelope naming the prom king.

Rachel glances around the room and shrugs. "I don't know, she and Stefan just disappeared. You would think she would at least come up stage with the rest of the nominees."

Mercedes nods her head in agreement, politely clapping when Dave Karofsky's name was called as Prom King. As Rachel scans the crowd for either Stefan or Quinn, she notices Finn standing all by himself by the refreshment table. "I'll be right back." she says to Mercedes without taking her gaze off him. Mercedes just nods.

"Hey, you." Rachel greets, stopping in front Finn. He looks down at her and smiles. "Hey, Rachel."

Rachel looks around curiously. "So where's your date?" she asks innocently.

Finn shrugs. "I think she went to the bathroom or something. She should be back any minute." he assures.

Rachel nods, her gaze slowly drifting down until it rested on his hand. Her brow furrows in confusion. "Finn…where's your bracelet?"

Finn glances down at his hand and frowns. "What bracelet?" he wonders.

"The bracelet, Finn! The one lace with ver-" She quickly stops herself. "The one I gave you. The one I gave everyone in glee! Where is it?" she demands.

Finn pulls his hand out of Rachel's grasp, bewildered by her behavior. "I stopped wearing it like the day after you gave it to me. No offense, it was a nice gesture and all, but wasn't really cool looking and it kind of smelled funny."

Rachel smacks his chest. "Finn, that bracelet's supposed to protect you! Keep you from getting compelled!"

Finn stares at her like she was a crazy person. "What the heck are you talking about Rachel?"

"_And now your 2011 McKinley High prom queen, with an overwhelming number of write-in votes, is….Kurt Hummel."_

Rachel whips her head around at the announcement, perplexed. "What?"

"Did he just say that Kurt was named prom queen?" Finn asks, dumbfounded. "Wait, can they do that? I mean Kurt's a dude…"

"I'll be right back." Rachel mutters, having just caught sight of the prom queen running out of the gym with Blaine on her heels.

"Wait, I'll go with you." Finn says, grabbing her arm before she could leave. "He is my brother after all." he defends when she stares back at him curiously. Rachel nods and together they leave the gym.

—

"How could Karofsky win and I didn't?" Santana wonders, angered by this surprising turn of events. "The only reason I ran with that Neanderthal is because I knew it would guarantee me prom queen!" she huffs, storming down the empty hallway with Brittany following closely behind her. "I mean just because I hate everybody doesn't mean they have to hate me too." she says quietly, stopping and turning around.

Brittany sighs and touches her shoulders, running her hands up and down in a soothing manner. "It's just a stupid crown, you can buy it at the party store."

"I'm going to be an outsider for my whole life." Santana sniffles, doing her best to contain her tears. "Can't I just have one night where I'm queen?" Her voice cracks. "Where I'm accepted?" She shakes her head before Brittany could even begin to formulate a response. "As soon as we get to New York, I'm bailing to live in a lesbian colony or Tribeca."

—

Quinn walks into the girl's bathroom and head straight for the paper towel dispenser. She quickly grabs a handful of before briefly running them under the water. She lifts her gaze from the sink for a brief second, glancing at the mirror before spinning around, eyes wide.

The girl in front of her smiles politely. "We haven't officially met. I'm Katherine."

—

"Would you at least sit down?" Blaine pleads, sighing as Kurt continues to pace around the empty hallway in front of him. "Do you want to go?" he asks, brow raised. "We don't have to go back in there you know."

"Wasn't this prom supposed to be about redemption, about taking away that lump you had in your throat from running away?" Kurt asks brow furrowed. "If we leave, all it's gonna do is give me a lump too." he retorts, crossing his arms and clutching himself.

"So what do you want to do?" Blaine asks, looking up at him expectantly.

"I'm gonna go back in there and get coronated." Kurt decides finally, nodding affirmatively. "I'm gonna show them that it doesn't matter if they are yelling at me or whispering behind my back- that they can't touch me, that they can't touch _us_ or what we have."

—

Santana paces the empty classroom that she and Brittany were holed up in. "They must have sensed that I was a lesbian. They must have." she murmurs, more to herself than to the blonde. She whips around suddenly. "Do I smell like a golf course?"

Brittany walks over to her, shaking her head. "They don't know what you're hiding. They just know that you're not being yourself. If you were to embrace all the awesomeness that you are, you would have won."

"How do you know?" Santana sighs, glancing back at her.

"Because I voted for you and because I believe in you, Santana." Brittany responds, touching her forehead against hers.

Santana sniffles, leaning into Brittany's embrace. "This prom sucks…now what am I supposed to do?"

Brittany reaches into her pocket and hands her some tissues. "We go back out there and be there for Kurt. This is gonna be a lot harder for him than it is for you."

—

Quinn swallows hard, doing her best to remain composed, as Katherine stares her down. "What do you want?"

"Easy." Katherine shrugs, walking toward her. "I want Stefan."

"I saw you with Finn earlier." Quinn ventures, arms crossing over her chest. "You compelled him to bring you here, didn't you? And you're the one who made him break up with Rachel."

Katherine chuckles and gives an exaggerated eye roll. "For a blonde you are _so_ smart."

"How long have you been in town?"

Katherine smirks. "A while." she responds, walking up the mirror and briefly checking her makeup. "Just waiting for the right moment to get Stefan back."

"If you haven't already noticed Stefan doesn't want you anymore." Quinn retorts. "And neither does Damon. So you might as well leave because you are wasting your time."

Katherine turns her gaze from the mirror to regard her fully. "You think that just because you've known Stefan for a few months, that you really know him, is that right?" she questions.

Quinn nods. "We don't keep secrets from each other."

"How cute." She steps forward and Quinn does her best not to lean back. "He loved me once, Quinn. And he will learn to love me again." Katherine informs her confidently.

"What are you saying, that just because you forced him to love you once, that you can do it again?" she scoffs. "That's not real love, Katherine. He never really loved you."

Katherine slams Quinn's head against one of the mirrors without warning. "You know, I'm getting really tired of people saying that it was all fake." she grits out, her temperament boiling over. "Because it wasn't. I truly loved Stefan and he truly loved me. We were meant to be together."

Quinn shakes the glass out of her hair, inadvertently making her elegant hairdo fall out of place. "Believe what you want Katherine." she mutters.

Katherine grabs a hold of her again and slams her into the nearest wall, baring her fangs as her hand wraps around Quinn's throat. "I could kill you now without thinking twice about it, blondie."

Quinn stands her ground, pissed off more than anything now. "If you truly wanted me dead, Katherine, you wouldn't be here just talking about it, you would just do it." she counters.

"You're right, Quinn." Katherine nods. "I would." Surprisingly she releases Quinn's throat. "But I wouldn't be the vampire I am, if I just killed you now, with no witnesses. That wouldn't be any fun."

Quinn snorts derisively. "You sound like Damon. Maybe you two are meant for each other."

Katherine takes a step back. "But since you are Stefan's 'love' I am going to be lenient. I'm going to give you the chance to leave town. Leave Stefan and you get to live. If you don't-"

"You might as well kill me now because I will never leave Stefan." Quinn retorts.

Katherine smirks. "Oh, I'm going to kill you, Quinn, don't you worry about that." she promises. "But not now, because like I said, that wouldn't be any fun." Turning on her heel, she heads toward the door, but before she leaves, she glances back over her shoulder one last time. "Don't say that I didn't give you a chance to do the right thing, Quinn."

—

Quinn releases the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and quickly grabs a new batch of paper towels to take to Stefan. She walks over to the door and just as she pulls the door open, she hears _the_ loudest scream in her life. Without hesitation she bolts down the hallway, looking for Stefan, for Katherine, for source of the scream, whoever she could find first.

She sharply turns a corner and the sight before her is enough to make her scream at the top of her lungs. Within seconds Damon and Stefan are coming down the hallway toward her, only stopping when they're a few feet from her. Stefan blurs over to her, catching her before she falls to her knees. "Stefan…Stefan…are they…please tell…they aren't?" she splutters, horrified, her entire body trembling.

Damon steps forward and glances down at the two bodies in front of her. "Yeah." He extends his foot and lightly nudges one of them. "Yeah, they're definitely dead."


	21. The Trick Is To Keep Breathing

"Yeah, they're definitely dead."

"They're not. They can't be!" Quinn cries, unable to take her eyes off the lifeless bodies of her two _best_ friends.

"Yeah, well they are. " Damon responds, shrugging carelessly. "Nothing we can do about it. So we need to dump the bodies, stat."

"Would it kill you to be a little less callous?" Quinn croaks, glancing back at him with red rimmed eyes.

"Not in my nature, you know that." Damon says evenly, hoisting Brittany's limp body up over his shoulder. "C'mon, you two, get up off the floor and help me with this one." He gestures back to Santana. "The last thing we need is someone stumbling upon this gruesome little crime scene."

Though she could feel Stefan get up behind her, Quinn can't find the will to move. "He's right, Quinn." Stefan says softly, helping her off the floor. "We need to get them out of here." Once she's up on her feet, he walks over to Santana and takes her into his arms with care.

"W-What are we going to do with them?" she sniffles, hastily wiping away the tears cascading down her cheeks.

"Bury them in the backyard?" Damon suggests, leading the way down the hall, Brittany's body swaying over his shoulders from his movements.

"I'm not burying my two best friends in the backyard, Damon." she snaps, walking around him and heading him off. She couldn't take the sight of Santana and Brittany.

"Do you think anyone else heard their screams?" Stefan inquires, turning his body when he reaches the doorway and going through it sideways.

Damon shakes his head, following Quinn through the parking lot. "If someone had, they would've come by now, wouldn't they?"

Stefan pulls his keys out of his pocket and hands them over to Quinn who quickly walks over to his Impala. She hastily opens the back car door and beckons for Damon to put Brittany down.

Damon's brow furrows. "Uh, shouldn't you put them in the trunk?"

Quinn leans forward and shoves some things off the seats. "I'm not throwing them in the trunk, Damon."

"I dunno, Quinn." Damon drawls. "It is Prom night. The cops will be all over town pulling over teenagers to test for drunk driving. If you happen to get pulled over and they see two dead bodies in your back seat…"

"If that were to happen we would simply compel them." Stefan responds, turning and scanning the parking lot to ensure that they were alone.

Damon glances back at Quinn, brow raised. "And you condone this?"

"Not usually but I'd make an exception." she replies, lips pursed.

"Fine." Damon shrugs it off and shoves past her, practically tossing Brittany's body in the back seat. He then turns to Stefan and takes Santana out of his arms, doing the same to her before shutting the car door. "Okay, let's roll."

"God, Damon! Could you be a little more gentle with them?" Quinn exclaims, her voice cracking.

Damon jerks out of the way before Quinn has the chance to hit him. "Why? They're dead. It's not like they can feel it." Quinn just shakes her head and walks around to her side of the car.

"Could you be anymore of an ass?" Stefan inquires, roughly taking Damon aside. "She _just _lost her two best friends. I know you don't give a damn, but could you at least pretend for her sake?"

"I don't know, Stef, that's a pretty tall order." he sighs.

Rolling his eyes, Stefan pushes at his brother's chest before getting in his car. "I'll meet you two back at the house." Damon calls after him.

"Don't bother." Stefan retorts. "We can handle this on our own."

—

"Everything's going to be okay." Stefan assures once they're out on the road toward home.

"No it's not Stefan." Quinn turns away from the window to look at him. "Santana and Brittany are dead because of me."

"No. This is all my fault." he sighs deeply. "I antagonized Katherine tonight. This is her just getting back at me for it."

Quinn shakes her head, her gaze falling to her lap. "No. This is _my_ fault." She lifts her gaze and reluctantly meets his questioning gaze. "While I went to get you paper towels, Katherine approached me in the bathroom. I told her that what you two had wasn't real, that you didn't want her anymore. She attacked me, told me to leave you and when I refused, she said she would kill me. Then she left and that's when I heard someone scream." She falls back against her seat and covers her face with her hands.

"I should have known better." Stefan murmurs, resting his head against his propped up arm. "I was an idiot, I should have kept a closer eye out on-"

"Don't put the blame on yourself, Stefan." she reaches out and touches his hand. "It all happened so fast, even if we knew what she planned to do, we wouldn't have been able to stop her. It would've been impossible to protect everyone."

Stefan glances back at the road ahead and shakes his head wearily. "I promised you that nothing bad would happen to you or your friends…just shows that I shouldn't make promises that I can't keep."

"Stefan this isn't your fault." she sighs. "It's _her_ fault. It's Katherine's fault. She-"

Out of nowhere, a large gasp comes from the back seat startling the both of them. Stefan slams his foot on the brakes in response and whips his head around just as Quinn does.

"Oh my god!" Quinn's eyes widen, shocked that Santana and Brittany were suddenly awake. "How the hell are you two alive?"

Santana looks around, completely disoriented. When her gaze falls on Brittany, her eyes go wide and she practically tackles the confused blonde. "Oh my god, Britt! You're okay!"

Without hesitation, Brittany wraps her arms around Santana, holding her close. Quinn just stares at the two embrace, then glances back at Stefan questioningly. "How….?".

Stefan shakes his head, at a complete loss. "I have no idea."

"What happened? How did we get here?" Brittany asks innocently when she and Santana break apart.

"Me and Stefan found you in the hallway." Quinn begins to explain. "Both of you were…" she drifted off uncomfortably.

"We died…didn't we?" Santana says quietly, her gaze flickering to Quinn. She didn't wait for a response from her before nodding. "Yeah, I remember." She glances at Brittany. "Me and Britt were heading back to the gym and then suddenly this chick, this vampire-"

"Katherine." Quinn interjects with a nod. "She's Stefan and Damon's ex."

Santana arches her eyebrow and turns to Stefan expectantly. "You and your brother dated the same girl? Kinky."

"Back on topic, Santana." Quinn frowns.

"Right. Anyways, _Katherine _snapped Brittany's neck and then she turned on me. I think she did the same thing to me." Santana recalls, sharing a look with Brittany. "Because I don't remember anything after that. God, it all happened so fast, we didn't even have a chance to…"

Brittany's brow furrows in confusion. "But if we died, how are we talking? Is this heaven? Are we angels?" She looks to Santana for an answer.

Santana can't help but snort at the idea of being an angel. "I highly doubt it, Britt."

Stefan quickly pulled into his and Quinn's driveway and everyone piles out. He slams his car door closed and exhales deeply upon seeing Damon waiting for them on the front porch.

"I thought I told you not to come." Stefan says curtly, walking past his brother and fiddling with his keys for a moment before pushing the door open.

"I wasn't about to leave when you would just end up calling me later for my help." Damon retorts before glancing back at the trio of girls heading up the pathway. "Glad to see that you two finally woke up."

Quinn stops at his remark, frowning deeply. Santana and Brittany bump into her. "Jesus, Q. Put your signal on." Santana mutters, her hand going to her temple, "God, why do I feel so out of it?"

Quinn ignores her comment and looks back at Damon. "What did you say?"

Damon holds up his hands, shaking his head. "Nothing. I said nothing. Just ignore me."

Stefan's eyes narrows at his brother's behavior. "Why aren't you surprised that Brittany and Santana are alive, Damon?"

Damon purses his lips before reluctantly saying, "Cause I kind of figured they would wake up on my way here."

Quinn stares at him in utter bewilderment. "You knew they were going to wake up?"

Damon smiles sheepishly. "Yeah. Kind of."

"How?" Both Stefan and Quinn demand.

Damon rubs the back of his neck and exhales deeply. "Because Brittany and Santana may or may not of had my blood in their system when Katherine killed them." he says wincing slightly.

Stefan blurs forward and shoves him into the door. "What did you do, Damon?"

"If they had your blood in their system when they died, then that means…" Quinn glances back at her confused friends. "…that they're in transition."

Santana's eyes go wide. "Transition?" she repeats, brow raised. "You mean transition into…vampires?"

"Okay, Damon, you have some serious explaining to do." Quinn says through gritted teeth, leading Brittany and Santana into the house.

Stefan reluctantly lets go of Damon. Damon coughs in response and turns to him expectantly. "So are you finally going to let me in or what?"

"Looks like I'm going to have to, but the moment we get answers, you're out. Got that?" Stefan says firmly.

Damon nods. Stefan steps inside, muttering under his breath, "Come in, Damon." Damon follows him inside and saunters through the hallway and into the living room. "Swanky place you got here, brother, you need to give me the number of your home decorator."

"Cut the crap, Damon." Stefan warns in no mood.

"How did this happen, Damon?" Quinn demands, turning to him expectantly.

"Well, I fed them my blood and Katherine obviously killed them. A plus B equals-"

"Why would you feed them your blood?" Quinn wonders, looking at him sharply.

Damon purses his lips together before answering, "Because I may or may not of fed on them and then gave them my blood to heal them."

Santana's nostrils flared. "When the hell did you do this? Why don't I remember this?" she demands.

Damon rolls his eyes and plops down on the sofa. "Because I compelled you to forget, obviously."

"But how could you?" Quinn frowns. "They have their…" her gaze drifts down to Santana and Brittany's arms and pauses. "Where are your vervain bracelets?" Brittany and Santana both look down at their bare wrists.

Brittany lifts her gaze, brow furrowed thoughtfully. "I think Lord Tubbington hid mine. Or maybe the elves took it…"

Santana touches her own arm and shakes her head. "I honestly don't know where mine went. I usually wear it."

"Usually?" Quinn repeats, incredulous.

Santana rolls her eyes. "Oh come on, Q. That thing is ugly as hell. You can't blame me for not wearing it."

Quinn had such an urge to slap her. "Santana that 'ugly' thing was the only thing protecting you from compulsion!" she exclaims loudly.

"See, it wasn't my fault." Damon interrupts mildly.

"Why were you feeding on them in the first place?" Quinn snaps, sharply turning on him. "Of all people to feed on, why them?"

Damon shrugs. "They're hot. They're cheerleaders." he says simply, resting his hands behind his head. Santana and Brittany can't help but smile proudly.

"Ex-cheerleaders." Quinn corrects.

Santana scoffs. "Hey, once a cheerleader, _always_ a cheerleader."

Quinn stares at her in disbelief. "Where was that talk when _I _quit Cheerios, Santana? Huh?" Santana just rolls her eyes. Damon smirks. "And not to mention that they taste awfully good. I just couldn't help myself."

"Damon, I am going to kill you!" Quinn exclaims before lunging at him. Thankfully Stefan was there to intervene and quickly captured her.

"Hey, hey, hey, if I hadn't given them my blood, your besties wouldn't be standing here talking to us." Damon reminds, artfully dodging Quinn's flailing fists.

"Take it easy, Quinn." Stefan advises. He pulls her back and waits until she calmed down some before releasing her. "You can beat the crap out of him later."

Damon stares at him, incredulous. "Jee, thanks, brother."

Stefan glares back at him. "You're lucky I'm stopping her instead of helping her."

Damon grins, breaking out in a playful fighting stance. "You wanna go little brother? I'm always up for a good fight."

Stefan just rolls his eyes at his brother, while Santana steps forward. "Okay although I would like nothing more than to have a front row seat in a Salvatore brothers smack-down…me and Brittany are in transition if you haven't already forgotten, which means we are about to become _vampires_. So if you could just answer my question…What the hell happens now? That would be great."

"You're right, Santana." Stefan nods, glaring back at his brother. "This isn't the time for childish fighting."

Santana shakes her head, holding out her hand. "Oh no, please continue, just give me the sparks notes version of what Britt and I are supposed to do now while you two rough each other up, maybe tear off each other's clothes…you know brother stuff…"

Rolling her eyes, Quinn sighs, "Santana."

Santana shrugs innocently. "What?"

Damon looks away from Stefan, his gaze settling on Santana. "Here's the lowdown, you either fed on human blood, therefore completing your transition into a vampire or die. And I mean _really_ die."

Quinn comes up to Santana and touches her shoulder. "It's a tough decision to make but we're not going to force you to do anything you don't want to, okay?"

Santana nods and squeezes her hand. "Thanks, Q. Would you mind giving me and Brittany a chance to talk about this?" Sharing a look with Brittany, they both nod.

"Of course." She walks back with Stefan, leading the way into the kitchen, where Damon reluctantly follows.

—

Santana waits until the trio of vampires are out of the room before turning to Brittany. "So, what do you want to do?"

Brittany raises her shoulders, falling back on the sofa with a sigh. "I don't know, San…but I don't want to die."

Santana nods, sharing her sentiments. "Yeah, neither do I." she says quietly.

"We would miss Nationals if we did and I really want to go to New Jersey."

"_New York_, Brittany." Santana corrects gently, slightly chuckling.

"But then again I don't want to live forever." Brittany continues. "It's a _really_ long time. If Edward Cullen doesn't like it, how will I?"

"Not to mention that we'll outlive all of our friends, well except for Stefan and Quinn, obviously. And then we'll be stuck in these bodies for the rest of time. We'll never age. I mean, I'm fine with being a hot tamale now, but I kind of looked forward to getting older. Having kids…" she admits under her breath, turning away.

"Maybe being a vampire won't be so bad." Brittany begins, turning back to her. "I mean if Quinn can do it, we should be able to right?"

"Quinn's a lot stronger than we are, Britt." Santana whispers. "What if it's too much for us to handle?"

Brittany purses her lips together in thought before responding with, "Well we won't know until we make a choice, right?"

—

"What do you think they're going to choose?" Damon asks from the kitchen, obviously eavesdropping on Santana and Brittany.

"You shouldn't be eavesdropping, Damon." Quinn scolds, even though admittedly she herself was having a hard time _not_ listening to their conversation.

"We still need to figure out what we're going to do about Katherine." Stefan starts, drawing their attention away from the conversation going on in the living room.

"We haven't seen the last of her" he continues. "We have no idea what she's up to."

Damon scoffs. "Pfft. Sure, we do. She came back to profess her undying, eternal love for you, brother."

"Which is why we need to figure out a plan to kill her as soon as possible." Quinn nods, walking around the counter and resting her hands on it. "I don't want any more of my friends ending up as victims in her little game."

"I agree." Stefan nods. "She made it clear that if she doesn't get her way, people will suffer. We need a plan of attack."

"Shouldn't be too hard." Damon responds casually. "She may be older but there's three of us - only one of her."

Stefan frowns., "Regardless we shouldn't underestimate her. That would be stupid."

"And if we include Santana and Brittany, that would be five vampires to take on Katherine." Damon points out, ignoring his brother.

"_If_ they decide to go through with it." Quinn reminds. "They haven't made their choice yet."

"On the contrary, sis." Damon smirks, tapping his ear "I think we can go back to the living room now."

With that remark they head out of the kitchen and return to the living room. Santana and Brittany both turn their heads at the sound of their footsteps.

"So you two have decided to become vampires, congratulations." Damon grins, extending his arms. "Someone break out the champagne."

Santana frowns. "How did you-"

"We were listening to your entire conversation." Damon replies easily.

Stefan stares at him pointedly "Not all of us, Damon."

Quinn walks up to Santana and Brittany, concerned. "Are you sure about this? I mean you know what this means right?"

After sharing a look with Brittany, Santana nods. "Me and Britt had weighed both the pros and cons of becoming vampires and frankly the pros out weigh the cons."

"Above all we don't want to die." Brittany adds. "Not now. You know I don't want to die before One Tree Hill gets canceled."

"Okay." Quinn sighs, nodding reluctantly. "If it's what you two want."

Santana looks at her closely, frowning slightly. "You don't sound too happy about it, Q? Did you want us to _choose_ to die?"

Quinn shakes her head quickly. "Of course not. I'm just…This is all my fault. I'm the reason you two are forced to make this horrible decision."

Santana's frown falters. "It is what is, Quinn. It's not your fault. It's that bitch Katherine's fault."

Damon nods. "Exactly. Which is why we need to focus all our time and energy on killing her. So…" He blurs out of the room and reappears seconds later, holding two blood bags, "Drink up, girls. The more vampires we have the better."

Santana and Brittany reluctantly take the blood bags out of his hands. "You don't have to do this right away." Quinn reminds after noticing their hesitant expressions.

Santana shakes her head. "It's okay, Q." she assures. "This is what we want." She glances over at Brittany to make sure. The other blonde nods confidently. "We might as well get this part over with."

The two rip the top of the blood bags and end up staring at them for the longest time, presumably transfixed by the scent.

"It doesn't smell icky like blood usually does." Brittany comments, leaning forward and sniffing the bag.

"Well here goes nothing." Santana sighs, tapping her blood bag with Brittany's before they bring them up to their lips and take a sip. After a few seconds they both pull away. Licking her lips, Santana nods agreeably. "It isn't half bad."

Brittany pulls her lips off the top and grins, showing off her red teeth. "Much better than a cherry slushie."

"But seriously, this stuff is _really_ good." Santana says, quickly taking another long drink.

Quinn's gaze flickers to Brittany, who had both her hands wrapped around the bag, now drinking from it like a starved animal, her blue eyes darkening drastically. "Take it easy Britt." she advises, glancing back at Santana to see that her eyes had gone completely bloodshot, showing off her new vampiric features.

"Okay I think you two have had enough." Stefan intervenes, stepping forward and prying the now empty blood bag out of Santana's grasp.

Quinn does the same with Brittany. "Yeah, you guys need to take it easy."

"It's very easy to let the bloodlust consume you." Stefan tells them, sitting down on the coffee table in front of them.

"But don't worry." Quinn reassures, sitting down next to him and taking their hands in hers. "Stefan and I will be helping you every step of the way. We won't let this control you."

Noticing how fidgety they were all of a sudden, Quinn frowns. "What's wrong?"

"I want more." Santana admits quietly, incessantly tapping her foot.

Brittany nods, shifting so that she now sat on her hands, "Are you sure we can't have more, Quinn?" she questions.

"I want you guys to take it easy right now." she says softly. "You can have more tomorrow."

Santana fiddles with the hem of her prom dress. "So I take it we can't go back to prom?"

"It wouldn't be the best thing for you two right now." Stefan responds before Quinn can. "It's too risky."

"We didn't even get to find out if Kurt accepted his queen crown." Brittany pouts, slumping back against the sofa.

Quinn looks at them, confused. "Wait, what?"

"Lady lips ended up winning prom queen." Santana explains, crossing her arms. "Shocker, right?"

"Is he alright?" Quinn questions, knowing how the students of McKinley could be. "I mean, how did he react?"

"He ran out of the gym, I think he was crying." Brittany says sadly.

Just then a horrible thought came to Quinn's mind. She turns to Stefan quickly. "We need to go back to the school."

"Hold up, I thought you said we couldn't go!" Santana exclaims, pushing herself forward.

"Not you and Brittany, Stefan and me." she clarifies before glancing at Stefan. "What if Katherine's still there? What if she attacked someone else? What if she-"

Stefan nods understandingly. "Look, you stay here, and I'll go check to see if everyone's alright."

"I'll go, baby bro." Damon speaks up, pushing himself off the wall he had been leaning against. "You and the Mrs. are going to have your hands full with these two." he gestures to Brittany and Santana. "I'll go check on everything, make sure Katherine hasn't killed the entire school, and if she happens to be stupid enough to be still hanging around." He whips the home-made stake out of his back pocket and gives it a little shake. "It's lights out."

Stefan shakes his head firmly. "No, no, Damon. Do not go after without a well thought out plan. She'll be expecting us to retaliate, you'll get yourself killed."

Damon rolls his eyes and clasps Stefan on the shoulder, meeting his gaze dead on. "I assure you brother, if I die, Katherine will most definitely go down with me."

—

It doesn't take Damon long to get back over to McKinley's prom, and after compelling the security who tried to get him to leave, he walks back into the gym in search for Katherine. He scans the room for her only to find that she was nowhere to be seen.

"Dance with me."

Turning around, he scoffs at the sight of Katherine Pierce standing before him. "In your dreams."

Katherine pouts at that less than friendly greeting. "Fine. Then tell me who I should kill. Him?" She points behind him to some guy with a ridiculous Mohawk. "Hmm." Her gaze falls onto another random girl. "She looks delicious."

Jaw tightening, Damon grudgingly offers his arm to Katherine, which she gladly takes.

"Never been to a prom before." she comments as Damon leads them out onto the dance floor. "Turns out they're just as lame as I expected." She places her hand on Damon's shoulder as they began to sway to the music. "I have to say that I'm disappointed Stefan wasn't the one to come to find me. Did he and Quinn find my gift in the hallway?" she smirks.

Damon snorts. "If you mean the dead bodies of their friends, then yes they did."

Katherine smiles satisfactorily. "Good. Then maybe they'll take my offer into further consideration."

"Nothing you say or do is going to break them up, Katherine." he sighs heavily, glancing back at her. "You're wasting your breath. You and Stefan are done. Stop trying to revive the past."

"You should listen to your own advice, Damon." Katherine smirks.

"I'm over you, Katherine." he retorts confidently.

"And it only took you until recently, right?" she says, brow quirked. "Cause last I heard, you were trying to find a way to free me from my 'tomb'."

Damon pursed his lips together in firm line, refusing to respond.

"Since Stefan's not here, you will have to deliver this message to him." Katherine drawls, lifting her gaze to him. "I will give him one week to dump that wench he's married to and in the meantime I will try not to kill anymore of their friends."

"Katherine I came back for a reason." he states, looking down into her eyes seriously. "But it wasn't to talk about my little brother."

Katherine arches her eyebrow, amused. "Oh no? Then why did you come back here, Damon?"

"I came back for you." he admits quietly. "You're right, I'm not over you."

"As flattering as it is, Damon." Katherine starts. "I-"

Damon nods, sighing heavily. "I know you came here for Stefan. I heard you before. I…just…humor me for a few hours…please? I've spent a hundred and forty-five years missing you." he murmurs, lifted his hand to and gently caress the side of her face. "And having you right here, in my arms like old times…"

Katherine's lips quirk up in a small smile. "I knew that beneath the leather and bad-boy attitude was still my sweet, innocent, Damon."

Damon leans down and let his lips linger in front of Katherine's. "Let's go somewhere a little more private, shall we?" he whispers.

Katherine's eyes sparkle under the lights they were under. "I thought you'd never ask."

—

Without another word, Damon leads Katherine out of the gymnasium and moves them into the first deserted classroom he can find, their lips devouring one another's as they force themselves inside. Damon pushes her against one of the walls, his lips hot and demanding as he attacks her neck. Katherine moans in response and wraps her arms around his head, keeping him there, "Now this is the kind of reunion I was hoping for. ."

He straightens up and forcefully kisses her lips, while her nails clawed down his chest, ripping open his shirt. "God you're hot." she breathes hungrily, looking back up into his smoldering blue eyes. "When did you get so hot?"

"When you broke my heart." he retorts, slamming her back into the wall, arm pressed against her throat, the other one carrying a stake. "And now I'm going to drive this stake right through yours. Goodbye, Katherine."

She abruptly grabs his wrist as he forcefully tries to shove the stake into her chest but as she was a lot stronger - much more than he remembered - she was able to force the stake around so that it was pointing at him. "Stupid move, Damon." she sighs, forcefully pushing him off her, sending him flying onto one of the desks. He quickly gets back up and lunges for her again but again she gets the better of him.

"You caught me off guard, I'll admit to that, Damon. So congratulations. That doesn't happen often." She steps in front of him and pulls him up by the throat. "But if you try that again, I will rip your heart out."

"Same goes for you." he croaks.

Katherine chuckles darkly. "You can either kiss me or kill me, Damon. But we both know that you're only capable of one." She releases Damon forcefully and glances around, pondering her next move. "You've pissed me off, now who knows what I'll do."

Shrugging to herself, she turns on her heel to leave but Damon calls out her name. She reluctantly stops and glances at him over her shoulder.

Damon looks at her questioningly. "Did you ever love me?" he asks quietly.

Sighing, she slowly turns around to regard him fully. "It was always Stefan." she says honestly, slightly looking apologetic.

—

"I'm tired." Brittany whines, her head resting against Santana's shoulder tiredly.

Santana nods wearily, resting her head against the sofa they were still sitting on. "Me too." she yawns. "We should probably get going."

Both girls push themselves off the sofa and stand up. Stefan opens his mouth to object but before he can Quinn intervenes.

"Uh, where do you think you guys are going?" she asks, returning from the bedroom after changing out of her prom dress. Stefan had stayed downstairs to keep an eye on Santana and Brittany.

Santana rolls her eyes. "As fun as it's been sitting here while Stefan gives us his serious vampire look, we'd like to go home if you don't mind."

Stefan's eyebrows furrows. "My serious what?" he questions, confused.

Santana folds her arms across her chest, nodding. "Mm-hm."

"It's different from your worried vampire look." Brittany points out.

"Neither which stray too far from your, '_Hey, it's Tuesday' _look." Santana responds, smirking slightly.

Stefan nods understandingly. "Oh, I get it. You think I'm too serious, is that it?"

Brittany and Santana glance at each other before looking back at him and saying in unison, "Duh."

Quinn has to stifle her laughter. "Anyways," she starts, getting back on topic. "You two are going to stay the night. It would be too risky to let you two go home in your condition."

"What will we tell our parents?" Santana inquires, looking back at them expectantly. "That we've become vampires and we won't be home tonight?"

Quinn rolls her eyes. "Just tell your parents that you're going to sleepover and if they want verification, I'll talk to them. They trust me after all."

Santana scoffs. "That's because they think you're still that virginal goody two shoes and not a slut vampire like you are now." she retorts.

"I'm going to ignore that comment." Quinn says before turning back around.

—

"Are you two okay with sharing a bed?" Quinn asks as she leads the two girls to the guest room.

Brittany nods. "Sure we are, Quinn. We do it _all_ the time." she giggles, glancing over at Santana knowingly. "But sharing a bed isn't the _really _fun part, it's-"

"Okay, Britt. That's enough sharing." Santana interrupts quickly, cheeks flushing slightly.

"There's toothbrushes and toothpaste under the sink in the bathroom." Stefan says, pointing over to the bathroom at the end of the hallway.

"I have some extra pajamas if you want them." Quinn offers, leaning against the doorway of the guest room.

"No thanks, Q. We're good. We sleep in our underwear." Santana replies with a smirk.

Quinn makes a face. "Uh, TMI Santana."

Santana shrugs innocently. "Hey, you started it."

Rolling her eyes, Quinn pushes herself away from the doorway and waves. "Goodnight, you two. If you need us, we'll-"

"Be down the hall." Santana interrupts, rolling her eyes. "We got it_, mother_."

"Night, guys." Stefan says, bringing the door close along with him.

"Wait!" Quinn opens the door again, a thought occurring to her. "Another thing, please don't do anything, you know…" she drifts off uncomfortably.

Santana snickers. "We won't if you two won't."

"I can't guarantee that." Stefan says from behind her, earning a raised eyebrow from Quinn. He chuckles at her expression and kisses her forehead. "Kidding."

She shakes her head and glances back at Santana and Brittany, eyes widening at the sight of the two starting to undress. She pushes Stefan out of the doorway without another glance. "You guys could have at least wait until we got out of the room!"

Santana snorts, her prom dress at her feet. "That's no fun."

"Night, guys." she sighs, closing the door behind her.

"Night, Quinn." they respond in unison.

—

Quinn walks into her and Stefan's bedroom to find him sitting on the edge of their bed, staring at his phone. "No word from Damon yet?" she guesses, noticing the concerned look on his face.

He shakes his head and sighs. "Nope."

Quinn purses her lips together and closes their door behind her. "He's been gone an awfully long time. Do you think something big happened?"

Stefan shrugs unknowingly. "I'm not sure."

Quinn glances back at the clock on their nightstand. "Well, prom ended over an hour ago. He would have come back by now to tell us what happened, right?"

"If he's able to." Stefan mutters, pushing himself off the bed.

Quinn frowns. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that if Katherine ended up still being at the prom and if Damon confronted her…knowing my brother he might've done something he shouldn't have." he groans at the very idea.

"You don't think Katherine….?"

Stefan began to pace the room. "I don't know. She could've. That would explain why he's not back. But, I don't know, killing Damon, it's not something she would do." he says, shaking his head. "She once had feelings for him."

"Do you think we should head back to McKinley?" Quinn suggests. "Try and look for him?"

Stefan nods decidedly. "But I'll go, you stay here."

Quinn immediately starts to protest. "Stefan-"

Stefan shakes his head, cutting her off. "You need to stay here and watch over Santana and Brittany. It would be too risky to leave them here alone."

Quinn purses her lips, a little dismayed that he had a point. She reluctantly nods her head in agreement, "Yeah, you're right."

Stefan walks over to her and leans down to her height, kissing her lips softly. "I won't be long, promise." he nods.

She wraps her arms around his torso suddenly and hugs him tightly. "Just be safe, okay? And if you need me, just call, okay?"

He nods and kissed her quickly. "I will. Promise."

She slowly pulls out of his arms and touches his face. "I love you."

"I love you too." he murmurs.

—

Despite being completely worried about Stefan - and Damon too - Quinn found herself nodding off every so often. She shifts slightly on her bed, inhaling a sweet scent that was strong enough to awaken her senses from sleep. Her eyes slowly flutter open and she glances around tiredly, wondering what the appealing scent was. It takes her all but a second to realize what it was.

Immediately she bolts upward and swears loudly, hastily getting out of bed before running out of the room. She pokes her head in the guest room, not in the least surprised to find that neither Brittany nor Santana was in there. She blurs down to the basement without a second thought and as she suspected, finds them down there, sitting on the floor drinking blood bag after blood bag like starved animals.

"Guys, guys." She drops down to her knees beside them. "You need to stop." She tears Santana's blood bag out of her hands and the Latina immediately tries to fight her to get it back. "Give it, Quinn." she growls, fangs and her mouth stained red. Quinn firmly shakes her head and the next thing she knows, Santana's slamming her into the wall.

Quinn, being stronger, quickly recovers and slams Santana to the ground, then flips her over forcing her on her stomach. She pins Santana's hands behind her back and holds her there. "I'm doing this to help you, I will not let you become a monster."

Santana struggles like a wildcat beneath her. "Let me go, Quinn! I need more!"

"I'm not letting you go until you calm down Santana!" Quinn exclaims, flipping her over suddenly so that they faced one another. "Now take a deep breath. Remember, you are stronger than this."

It takes a few minutes but eventually Santana calms down to the point where she stops fighting her. She exhales deeply and stops resisting. "Can you get off me now?" she asks in a rather soft voice.

Quinn nods and rolls off of her. Santana pushes herself off the floor and rested her back against the refrigerator, her knees pulled up to her chest like a lost child. "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Brittany says quietly, a guilty expression on her blood stained face. "It just tastes so good."

"What if this was a mistake?" Santana interrupts mildly, tears welling up in her eyes. "I thought…I thought this would be different…I thought we'd be more like." Her gaze lands on Quinn. "Well, more like you…more in control."

"I was lucky." she sighs, reaching over and brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "It isn't as easy for every vampire. Sometimes it's really hard to control yourself. I mean, take Stefan for example, it took him over a century to control himself."

"Over a century?" Santana repeats, shoulders slumping. "I don't want to be like this for that long! I want to be normal again!" she cries.

"And that's good, Santana." Quinn nods assuringly. "Your willingness to be better will make it a little easier. With Stefan, he told me that he didn't want to get better, not for a long time because he didn't have a reason to. Not until he met me. But you guys have every reason in the world to fight this. You have your family, your friends, you have each other. I know neither one of you would want this for the other, so don't let this get the better of you."

Santana and Brittany look at each other and share a small smile. "Now come on you two." Quinn gestures for them to get up. "Let's go get you cleaned up." She extends her hands to them, which they both take, allowing her to pull them off the floor.

—

Quinn leads them into the guest bathroom and turns on the water faucet for them. She grabs a small hand towel off the rack and puts it under the flow of water for a few moments before ringing it out a little and wiping Brittany's face clean with it. "I'm so sorry, Quinn." she apologizes again, tears still in her blue eyes, "I didn't mean to…"

"Take it easy, Britt." she soothes. "It's not your fault. I'm just glad it was only blood bags you went after and not actual people."

Santana swallows hard. "What if we do end up attacking someone? What if, when we get to school Monday, it's the first thing we do?"

"Actually you guys won't be going to school on Monday." Quinn replies, still wiping Brittany's face. "It's too soon for you two to be around people. You guys aren't ready."

"What about our parents?" Brittany asks, sniffling slightly.

"Stefan and I will take you home Sunday night but we'll stay with you to ensure that nothing happens. Then on Monday morning, just tell your parents that you're ill and can't go to school." she says simply. "Then when your parents leave for work," she continues, "We'll bring you back here, where we can keep an eye on you two."

"So you and Stefan are basically our probation officers." Santana mutters with a slight scoff, cleaning off her own face.

"In a way, but we're only trying to help you two." she reminds.

"Santana, your face." Brittany points out. Quinn glances over at Santana, whose eyes were dark and veiny still.

Santana sighs in frustration at her reflection in the mirror. "I know. It's freakin' annoying, I can't make it go away."

Quinn hands Brittany the small towel and turns to Santana. "Look at me." Santana reluctantly does as she asks, sulking like a moody teenager.

Quinn takes a deep breath and shuts her eyes, allowing Santana to see the shadows and veins appearing underneath her eyes before opening them. "You see this? When you feel the blood rush, you tell yourself that you're going to get through it. That you're strong enough. No matter how good it feels to give yourself over to it, you fight it off, you bury it. Watch me." Santana does so, this time with rapt attention, and watches as Quinn's eyes return to normal. "That's the only way you're gonna survive this thing." Quinn said quietly.

"You make it look so damn easy." Santana grumbles, slightly annoyed.

Quinn clasps her shoulders and meets her gaze. "Just do what I did. Breathe, one, two, three, breathe." Santana sighs and does so, admittedly starting to feel better as her breathing returned to normal.

"See you did it." Quinn says, smiling triumphantly.

Santana glances at herself in the mirror and relaxes now that her face was back to normal. She turns back to the two blondes and smiles slightly. "You know here's one bright spot about this whole thing."

Both Quinn and Brittany look at her curiously. "And what would that be?" Quinn asks.

Santana smirks. "We shall now be forever know as the unholy, _immortal _trinity."

Brittany beams, nodding approvingly. "I like it. We should make t-shirts."


	22. Somewhere A Clock Is Ticking

"Damon, it's your brother." Stefan says into his phone for what feels like the hundredth time in the last half hour. "Answer your phone. Call me back as soon as you get this." He snaps his phone shut and makes his way back to his car, having just checked every inch of McKinley for any sign of Damon.

Shaking his head, he slides into the driver's seat and dials Quinn's number, keeping his phone pressed against his ear as he pulled out of the parking lot.

She answers almost immediately. "Stefan, is everything alright? How's Damon?"

"I wouldn't know." he sighs, frustrated. "I didn't find him at McKinley. I'm going to try some of the local bars, maybe he's there drowning his sorrows in booze."

"He still hasn't answered his phone?"

"Nope. I've left him half a dozen voice mails already and nothing. How's everything with you and the girls? Are they alright?"

"Well, there was an incident…"

"An incident?" he repeats, concerned. "Are you okay? Are they okay?"

"Yeah we're all okay." she assures. "They just…well they had a little lapse in willpower and kind of raided our supply of blood. But don't worry, I took care of it. Gave them a little talk. Everything's good now. They're both asleep now."

Stefan relaxes slightly and turns onto the main road. "Good. Look I shouldn't be much longer."

"Call me when you find Damon, okay?"

"Got it." he nods. Love you."

"Love you too."

—

After searching two local bars, Stefan ends up finding Damon sitting at the counter of the third bar he decided to search. Sighing heavily at the sight of his brother hunched over at the bar, a bottle of Jack Daniels next to him, Stefan walks over to him and wordlessly takes to the seat next to him. "You want to tell me why you haven't been answering my calls?" he asks, seeing clearly that Damon's phone was right in front of him, screen alight from all the missed calls and voicemails he had. "I take it Katherine was still at the prom?"

Damon lifts his head and reaches for the bottle to pour himself another glass. "Yep." he responds, his lips popping on the 'p'.

"And you did something stupid, didn't you?" Stefan waves off the bartender when she comes down to take his order. He glances back at Damon expectantly.

"Would attempting to stake her count as doing something stupid?" he questions, smirking.

Stefan shuts his eyes and ducks his head momentarily, internally groaning. "Damon…"

"I know, I know. I didn't listen. You were right. As usual." he rolls his eyes and downs another drink. "Just drop it, okay?"

"So what did Katherine say to you that had you running towards your good friend Jack?" Stefan wonders, taking the bottle of Jack Daniels out of his brother's reach before he can pour himself another.

"The usual 'I love Stefan, he was the one I truly loved' crap." Damon replies, opting to steal another bottle from behind the bar rather than try to get Stefan to give back his bottle. "I let her get to me. _Yet again_."

"We need to get rid of her as soon as possible." Stefan concludes, frowning disapprovingly at his brother when he starts drinking straight from the bottle.

"Couldn't agree more." Damon nods, throwing his head back with another drink.

"Question is: How?" Stefan wonders, brow furrowing in thought. "She'll be expecting something, no doubt."

"She always is." Damon mutters, reluctantly setting down the bottle. "That's the problem."

"We just need to catch her off guard, then-"

"Well no one better than you for that job." Damon says, raising the bottle in his direction.

Stefan frowns, confused. "Why do you say that?"

Damon fights the urge to roll his eyes. "Because brother. Katherine wants you back. She's still in love with you. So you will have more power over her. You act like your charming self with her, make her think you still love her, it'll lower her defenses, then bam." He slams his fist on the bar top. "Stab her in the back before she even knows what hit her."

"What makes you think Katherine would just believe me?" Stefan inquires. "I mean, I've made it clear that Quinn is the one for me and that nothing she says or does is going to change my feelings for her."

Damon shrugs. "Well just make her believe it, brother. Unless you have another plan that you'd like to share to the class."

Stefan stays silent, having no plan of his own. "Katherine said she'll give you a week to break up with Quinn and in the meantime she won't kill anyone." Damon continues. "So, I'd say it's imperative that we come up with a plan before she starts snapping necks again."

"We'll just have to figure something else out." Stefan says, sliding off his barstool. "Because I'm not giving into Katherine's threats."

"Are you that's the wise thing to do?" Damon scoffs, staring back at him pointedly. "I mean she just killed two of your girl's friends. Katherine doesn't get her way, there will be more names added to that list. Guaranteed. "

—

When Quinn wakes up the next morning she's partly surprised to see Stefan sleeping soundly next to her. Smiling sleepily, she rolls on top of him and begins peppering his face in small kisses. After a few kisses his eyes slowly begin to flutter open. "Hey you." she says softly, lightly kissing his lips.

"I like waking up this way." he grins, rolling them over. "You should do this more often."

"When did you get home?" she wonders, straightening up. "Did you find Damon?"

"Yeah, at some bar." he nods, sighing. "Apparently Katherine was still at the prom when Damon arrived, and of course Damon provoked her. But-"

"She didn't hurt anyone, did she?" she asks worriedly.

Stefan shakes his head. "Not unless you count Damon."

"So do we have a game plan on how to get rid of Katherine?" she inquires, looking at him expectantly.

"Not really." he sighs, leaning back against the headboard. "We just know that we don't have a lot of time. Katherine's giving us a week to break up."

Quinn arches her eyebrow. "And if we don't?"

"She'll go back to killing those we care about." he answers.

She purses her lips together unsurely. "Okay, well, how about we-"

"Knock, knock! We're coming in. You two better not be naked!" Santana's voice comes from the other side of their door. Sighing, Stefan and Quinn share a look before the duo enter the room.

"Why are you here?" Quinn asks tiredly just as Brittany skips over and plops herself down on the foot of their bed.

Santana rolls her eyes. "Because Brittany insisted that we ask you two for permission before getting some breakfast."

"Yeah, go ahead." Stefan nods, waving his hand. "Everything you need is in the kitchen-"

"Not that kind of breakfast, Salvatore." Santana sighs, exasperated. "We were thinking of something more in the red variety. If you get my drift…"

"Right." Stefan throws back the covers and gets out of bed. Almost forgot. I'll be right back."

Once Stefan was out of the room, Santana sets herself down next to Quinn while Brittany crawls over to take up Stefan's previous spot. "Quinn?" Brittany asks curiously. "Now that I'm a vampire can I change into a bat?"

Chuckling, Quinn shakes her head apologetically. "Sorry, Britt, no. We're not those kinds of vampires."

"I'm just thankful that we don't sparkle." Santana sighs, leaning back. She stops and glances back to Quinn for clarification. "We don't sparkle, right?"

Quinn shakes her head again. "No. Santana. We do not sparkle."

"Well, well, well, look what we have here." All the girls turn away from each other to find Damon in the doorway, his shirt unbuttoned all the way down, showing off his chiseled torso.

"A douche bag?" Santana quips, causing Quinn and Brittany to chuckle.

Damon promptly ignores that comment and walks over to them. "Now why wasn't invited to this little orgy?" he wonders. "I could have made it a lot more fun."

Santana scoffs and rolls her eyes. "Fuck off, Salvatore."

Damon makes a face when Stefan walks back into the room, carrying two blood bags. "Ugh. I prefer mine at 98.6."

Stefan ignores him and tosses the bags, and some straws, to Santana and Brittany. "Remember to take it easy." Quinn reminds.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know." Santana says offhandedly, jabbing her straw into the bag and taking a long sip.

"Anyways, about Katherine." Damon begins. "What the hell are we going to do about her?"

"So I take it your ingenious plan of staking Katherine didn't work out?" Santana inquires, a slight smirk on her face. Damon's jaw tightens. Stefan shoots him a warning look.

"I'm bored." Brittany sighs after she finishes her blood bag. She falls back onto the pillows. "Can we go outside or something?"

"Speaking of which, we're going to need to get them daylight rings." Quinn says, looking back at Stefan.

"That can wait." Damon retorts. "We need to focus on Katherine."

"Santana and Brittany would be even more of an asset if they had rings enabling them to walk in the sun." Stefan reminds his brother, before glancing at Quinn. "Although I'm not sure how we're going to get them some. I can't ask Gloria. She made it clear that when I came for yours that it was a one time thing."

Santana frowns, confused. "And Gloria's a…?"

"Witch." Stefan finishes for her. "They're the only ones who can make daylight rings." he explains.

"What about Bonnie?" Quinn wonders eagerly. "Do you think she would be willing to-"

"That is _if_ she knows how to. She's still relatively a beginner." Damon points out, skeptical.

"Well Santana and Brittany need rings." she sighs. "They have school, they can't _not_ go out in the day, Damon."

"Yeah and besides we've got Nationals to go to!" Santana exclaims as if that were the most important thing. "And I'll be damned if I miss going to New York."

"Too late." Damon mutters, earning a disapproving look from both Stefan and Quinn.

—

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" Quinn asks Stefan, taking him aside before he headed out their bedroom. They were currently getting ready to take Brittany and Santana home for the night. Stefan stops and turns around, nodding. "Sure, what about?"

Quinn takes his hand and leads him into the bathroom, where she then turns on the shower. Even though Santana and Brittany were outside in the driveway with Damon, waiting for them, she didn't want to take any chances of them hearing their conversation.

Stefan's eyebrows furrow in confusion. "What's wrong?" He looks to her, concerned.

"I think we should break up." she says quietly, lifting her gaze to meet his.

Stefan stares at her, taken aback. "What?"

"Not really break up." Quinn assures with a chuckle, touching his arm. "You know how Katherine said that if we don't stop seeing each other, she'll hurt our friends? Well, we need to do as she says. We need to break up. Or at least make her _think_ that we've broken up."

Understanding, Stefan nods. "If we want to keep everyone safe, we're going to have to do what she wants."

"So we'll have a fake fight, pretend that her threats are tearing us apart so that she thinks she's getting what she wants." Quinn continues.

"But what if she figures out that we're pretending?"

"We won't tell anyone about this plan." Quinn responds, shaking her head. "If we fool everyone into thinking that we're not together, Katherine will think the same."

"How will we know when to give a fake fight?" he frowns. "I mean, Katherine's not one to give away her whereabouts."

"She's bound to have spies, right? You said it yourself that Katherine was always the type of person who liked to get other people to do the dirty work for her. I mean, she could still be using Finn. If we fight in front of him, he could relay it back to Katherine…"

Stefan nods. "That's true."

"She's bound to drop in from time to time to see if we're still together or not." she figures. "We just have to make it completely believable, so I'll move out."

Stefan looks at her questionably. "Move out?"

"How do you think anyone is going to believe that we're really broken up when we still live together." she responds, brow quirked. "I'll move out and we can say that we're talking about getting a divorce. We have to go the whole nine yards if we want Katherine to believe all this is real."

Stefan sighs, then meets her gaze earnestly. "You think you're up for this?" he asks.

Quinn nods. "It won't be easy, since I hate fighting, especially with you, but it's our only option." she sighs, raising her shoulders.

"Okay then." Stefan leans down and kisses her lips. "Just know that whatever I say, I mean the opposite. Like if I were to say that I hate you, I really mean that I love you."

Quinn chuckles and returns his kiss. "Got it."

"So when do you want to start this 'fighting'?" he wonders as she turns off the shower.

"When the moment is right, I guess." she shrugs. Now, come on, let's go."

—

"Look, I don't think this is such a good idea." Santana begins, shaking her head as Stefan and Quinn proceed to drive her home, having just dropped off Brittany.

"I'm going to stay with you, Santana." Quinn reminds, turning around and squeezing the girl's hand. "You have nothing to worry about."

"But what if I take one step inside that house and snap? What if I attack my parents?" Santana exclaims, horrified by the very idea. "What if it's too much?"

"None of that is going to happen you're stronger than that." Quinn assures, nodding confidently. "Besides, I won't let anything happen. Promise."

"But what about Brittany? Do you-"

"Damon's keeping an eye on Brittany as we speak." Stefan replies. "And as soon as we're done here, I'm going to go over to Brittany's and keep an eye on her."

Santana nods, then swallows hard when her house comes into view. "Just breathe, Santana." Quinn advises, taking her hand when they get out of the car. "Everything will be fine. Nothing bad is going to happen."

—

A few hours later, Santana found herself unable to sleep. Huffing in frustration, she sits up and rests her back against her headboard. She glances back at Quinn, who was sleeping peacefully beside her, before quietly slipping out of bed and tiptoeing out of her room. She heads downstairs to the kitchen. Maybe a glass of milk would get her brain to shut off for a while. It always used to work for her when she was a kid. She knows she's a vampire and all now but she doesn't have a fridge full of blood bags like Quinn and Stefan.

Flipping on the light switch by the doorway, she walks into the kitchen and gasps when she's met with the sight of Katherine sitting at her counter. Katherine cocks her head to the side, smiling expectantly. "Remember me?"

Santana automatically takes a cautious step back. "What do you want?" she asks warily.

Katherine uncrosses her legs and slides off her stool. "Santana, right? I've got a little job for you."

Santana crosses her arms and scoffs. "Screw you, Katherine. I'm not doing shit for you. How did you even get in here?"

"Your mother invited me in." she drawls, her fingers grazing the countertop. Santana swallows hard, which caused Katherine to chuckle.

"I wouldn't try screaming for help if I were you, Santana." Katherine says warningly. "But don't worry, we're gonna have so much fun together." she assures, a grin playing at her lips.

—

"Hey, Q, wake up! Don't make me slap you with a chicken cutlet!" a voice threatens, violently jerking Quinn out of what had otherwise been a peaceful sleep.

Groaning, Quinn reluctantly opens her eyes to find Santana hovering over her. "Hurry up and get dressed!" she exclaims. I don't want to be late!"

Noticing that Santana had on her Cheerios uniform, as well as her letterman's jacket, Quinn pushes herself upright. "And where do you think you're going?" she asks, confused.

"School, dumbass." Santana scoffs. "Duh! Now c'mon!"

"Uh, you're not going to school today, Santana." Quinn retorts, more awake now. She throws back the covers and gets out of bed. "You're not ready-"

"Of course I am." Santana says confidently, waving her off impatiently. "I'm fine. I made it through the night without once getting the need for blood."

"So? That doesn't mean your ready to immerse yourself in a school full of hundreds of kids! Besides you don't even have a daylight ring!"

Santana whips around and waves her left hand back and forth. "Then what do you call this, Q?" she demands, looking back at her expectantly.

Quinn grabs her wrist and stares at the ring on her index finger. Without warning she drags Santana over to her window and draws the blinds back so that the sunlight was on both of them. "How the heck did you get a daylight ring?"

Santana shrugs her off and waves her hand dismissively. "Doesn't matter, now c'mon, let's go, otherwise I'm leaving without you!"

Before Quinn can even stop her, Santana blurs out of the room. Swearing, Quinn quickly dresses before sneaking out of her house undetected. Something was definitely up with that girl.

—

It's as Quinn's heading up the front steps of McKinley when her phone starts ringing. Without slowing down she picks it and places it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Quinn, do you have any idea where Brittany is?" Stefan's voice comes. "I woke up this morning and she was gone."

"I have an idea." Quinn sighs, using her free hand to open the front door. "But by chance did you or Damon give Santana a daylight ring?"

"What? No."

Shaking her head, Quinn makes her way toward the hallway where Santana and Brittany's lockers are. "Well Santana somehow got one and she won't tell me how. Then she bolted off to school without me."

"Where are you now?"

"At McKinley, I think Brittany might be here too." she responds, turning a corner and walking down the congested hallway. Even though she's not the HBIC people still part the way for her like the red sea.

"But how?" Stefan inquires. "She doesn't have a daylight ring."

"At least not that we know of." She huffs in frustration, searching for any sight of the two cheerleaders only to come up empty handed. "I don't know what's going on but you better get here fast. The last thing we need is one of them snapping."

"Got it. I'll be right there."

She slips her phone back in her bag and when she lifts her gaze, she finds Santana in her line of view, having a chat with some random underclassman. It takes her all but a second to realize what Santana was doing to the young girl. She hurriedly walks over to the Latina. "Santana!"

Santana turns her head and quickly shoos away the girl before Quinn can make her way over to them. "Oh, hey Q." she says casually.

"I saw that." Quinn exclaims with a pointed glare. "You totally compelled that girl!"

Though smirking, Santana shrugs. "Yeah, the bitch deserved it. She totally bumped into me. I could've broken a nail or something."

Quinn stares at her incredulously. "Santana, nobody deserves to have their mind tampered with for shallow reasons."

Santana rolls her eyes and sighs heavily. "But it's so much fun! I really think I've got the hang of it. It's pretty easy. Can't wait to compel Rachel into doing something stupid." she grins.

"Okay, that's it, we're leaving." Quinn grabs her wrist and begins pulling her down the hallway, but Santana twists her arm. "No way." she snaps, freeing her arm from Quinn's grasp.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Quinn demands, rubbing her wrist.

Santana scoffs. "Nothing's wrong with me! You're the one who's all overbearing and shit! I told you, I'm _okay_. Jesus I can handle this. Do you see me attacking anyone?" She looks around expectantly, shaking her head. "Uh, no!"

Quinn's eyes narrow suspiciously. "What aren't you telling me, Santana?"

"Okay get through this through your head, I am not keeping anything from you!" she exclaims, getting annoyed. "It's written all over your face that something's up so just tell me!"

"Screw you, Fabray." Santana spits, roughly shoving past her before disappearing around the corner. Quinn's left standing in the middle of the hallway, utterly perplexed.

"Quinn?"

She turns around and exhales deeply at the sight of Stefan jogging up to her. "Have you figured out what's going on?" he asks, greeting her with a quick hug.

She shakes her head, pulling back. "No, but Santana just went off on my like I don't know what. Something isn't right with her."

"Do you have any ideas on what to do?"

"One." she says quietly, nodding slightly. "But I can't be sure until we test it."

Stefan leans forward, nodding. "Okay so what should we do?"

"Put that plan we were talking about yesterday into action." she responds just as the bell rings above their heads.

—

When Quinn walks into the choir room, she's surprised to see Brittany and Santana already there, sitting farther away from everyone than they usually did. On her way to her seat, she meets Santana's gaze briefly, before the Latina quickly turns away. Sighing, she takes a seat down in front next to Rachel who was sitting near them.

"Hello, Quinn." Rachel greets when she sits down. "Is everything alright? You never told me what the heck happened at prom."

Realizing she had no idea that Santana and Brittany were vampires, Quinn hesitates for a moment. "It's a long story." she eventually says. "I'll tell you later."

Rachel frowns, lips pursed. "But that's what you said last time."

"I can't tell you here, Rach, not with certain parties around." Quinn says quietly, discreetly gesturing to the other glee clubbers.

Rachel sighs. "Fine. But are you sure you're okay?" she questions, looking at her closely. "Cause frankly, you don't look it."

Quinn looks at her unsurely before responding, "Well, to tell you the truth Stefan and I just had a fight." she admits, ducking her head down a little.

Rachel looks at her with wide eyes, shocked. "What? Are you serious? About what? Is everything okay? Do I need to beat him up?"

Quinn shakes her head quickly, smiling slightly. "No, you don't have to beat him up. It was a fight, Rachel. That's all. Couples are entitled to fights."

"Yeah I know better than anyone." she says glumly, glancing over at Finn.

"Have you talked to him lately?" Quinn asks, following her gaze. "I mean, the only reason he broke up with you is because he was being compelled."

Rachel turns her head and sighs, nodding. "Yeah, I made that connection at prom when I saw that he wasn't wearing his bracelet but he hasn't really talked to me since."

Mr. Schuester walks into the room then and Quinn sighs to herself, figuring they'd have to pick up their conversation later.

—

Quinn approaches the glee girls, and Kurt, at their usual table when lunch rolls around, sans Stefan.

"Hey guys." she greets to them, taking the open seat next to Rachel.

"Hey, Quinn, where's Stefan?" Tina wonders, glancing around for any sight of him. "You guys are usually attached at the hip." she chuckles.

"They had a fight." Rachel promptly explains for which Quinn throws her an incredulous look. "What?" she defends, frowning. "It's the truth."

Mercedes looks over at her, brow furrowed. "What happened, baby girl?"

Quinn opens her paper bag lunch and sighs, shrugging it off. "We just had a fight, it's fine really."

"Now that expression on your face says otherwise." Kurt notes, the others nodding their heads in agreement.

"Okay, it was kind of a big fight." she concedes under their unrelenting stares. "But I really don't want to talk about it."

"Well it looks like you're gonna have to, look who's coming over." Santana says, her gaze flickering behind Quinn to where Stefan was walking towards them.

"Maybe he wants to make up." Rachel suggests enthusiastically.

"Good. I love to see boys groveling for forgiveness." Mercedes chuckles, sharing a knowing look with Kurt.

Stefan stops in front of their table, smiling briefly at the group before looking to Quinn. "Can I talk to you?"

Sighing, Quinn reluctantly nods and stands up, following him over to an empty table on the other side of the cafeteria. She takes a seat across from him and meets his gaze. "So what do you want to talk about?"

Stefan rests his hands on the table and leans forward. "Look, I know you're upset, all right? This situation sucks but we have to take Katherine seriously. Prom was all about the lengths she would go to."

"But if she was going to hurt me, she would have, Stefan." Quinn sighs tiredly. "She could've when we were talking in the bathroom. I mean I was standing right in front of her."

"It doesn't mean that you're safe." Stefan reminds. "She said she would come after you sooner or later. "

"I'm not afraid of her, Stefan." she says as evenly as she can.

"Yeah, well you should be." he says, staring at her pointedly.

Quinn huffs, frustrated. "Look, if Katherine had her way, we'd be breaking up right now."

"And if prom taught me anything, it's that Katherine's used to getting her way." Stefan retorts.

"You're not actually saying that we should do what she says?" Quinn questions, staring at him in disbelief.

"Listen, she's sadistic, okay?" he says, his voice raising. "She threatened you. She threatened everyone."

"I get it, okay?" she exclaims, annoyed. "She's dangerous. But why are you giving her so much power over our relationship?" she demands.

"Because it's the reality of our situation." he exclaims, doing his best to keep his voice down.

Quinn pulls back, jaw terse, and shakes her head. "Well, reality sucks. This is what she wants. She wants us to fight. She wants to get between us."

He stressfully runs a hand through his hair. "She already has, Quinn." he tells her.

Her eyes narrow with suspicion. "Do you still care about Katherine? Is that what this is about?"

Stefan stares at her, shaking his head. "Don't do that. Don't turn this into something that it's not. What kind of question is that? Do I still have feelings for Katherine? Of course I don't!"

"It's just a simple question, no need to yell at me!" she exclaims, getting defensive.

"I'm not yelling!"

She scoffs, brow raised. "Really? Because it sounds like you're yelling!"

Stefan shakes his head sharply. "You're being ridiculous."

"I'm being ridiculous?" she repeats incredulously. "How am I being ridiculous?"

Stefan pushes himself out his seat. "You know what, just forget it. Forget I said anything. I'm done."

"You're such a typical guy, Stefan! Walking away when things get a little difficult." she retorts, pushing herself out of her chair as well.

Stefan just walks out of the cafeteria without another word. Huffing with frustration, Quinn turns on her heel and storms out of the cafeteria using the other exit.

—

Quinn quickly makes her way down the relatively empty halls of McKinley, storming past the few lingering students who were well to jump out of her way. She walks down to the far end of the school and slips inside one of the classrooms she knew was no longer in use. She doesn't wait more than a few seconds before Stefan joins her.

She turns around. "Did you see Santana?" she inquires.

Stefan nods, gently closing the door behind him. "Yeah. You were right. Katherine somehow got to her. She was practically hanging on to every word."

Quinn sighs, part of her wishing her intuition had been wrong. "I knew something was up the moment Santana showed me her daylight ring and then by the way she was acting today…"

"It's pure Katherine." Stefan agrees. "She's always finding somebody to do her dirty work."

"It won't be long before she gets a play-by-play from Santana." Quinn brings up with a shake of her head.

Noticing her crestfallen expression and steps forward, touching her chin so that she met her gaze. "Hey, I know this is hard. Yes, we have to keep up with this little ruse for a while but it's the best way to keep Katherine from hurting anybody, especially you."

Quinn nods understandingly. "I know that, I just hate fighting with you and I know we're just going to have to kick it up a notch to make it believable."

"If she thinks we're fighting, she'll think she's winning, which will keep her from following through on her threats."

"Yeah but that doesn't make it any easier."

"Just know that I love you, alright?" He leans down and kisses her softly. "Always and forever."

"I love you too." she murmurs before stepping away from him. "We better get going, can't have anyone catch us here together. I'll leave first and then you-" She turns back around to find that Stefan had already disappeared.

—

That night Santana finds herself busy texting Brittany rather than working on her Chemistry homework like she should be. Not that it was a big deal - she'd just copy off of Quinn tomorrow before class. She's in the middle of waiting for a response when her doorbell rings. Thinking nothing of it, she pushes herself off the couch and blurs across the room to open the door.

Thankfully her parents were gone for the night so she didn't need Quinn to keep an eye on her in case she went bonkers. She pulls open the door and lifts her gaze from her phone, her brow raising in surprise at the sight of Quinn standing before her with her old Cheerios duffel bag hanging over her left shoulder. Santana's slightly taken aback by the sight, having never seen Quinn look so distraught before. "Q, what are you doing here?" she asks, instinctively ushering in the blonde and closing the door behind her.

"Do you think I can stay with you for awhile?" Quinn sniffles, glancing back at her with red rimmed eyes. "Stefan and I…"

Santana nods understandingly. "Yeah, of course." She wraps her arms around the blonde's shoulders and leads the girl upstairs to her room.

"I'm really sorry about this," Quinn starts, her breath hitching for a second. "but I really didn't want to go to my dad's and tell him what had happened."

"You guys had another fight?" she figures, rubbing her hand on her arm consolingly.

Quinn nods, lifting up her hand to wipe at her eyes with her sleeve. "We did nothing but fight when we got home. I finally couldn't take anymore of it so I left."

"And all this because of Katherine?" Santana questions, closing the door behind her when they make it to her room.

Quinn shakes her head and plops herself down on the edge of Santana's bed. "Yeah Stefan's been pushing me away because he thinks that Katherine will get jealous enough to hurt me. I've tried but I don't know how to change his mind."

"Well, he's got a point, Q." Santana begins softly, sitting cross-legged on her bed. "She's dangerous."

"Yeah, I know that she's dangerous and I know that Stefan's just trying to protect me, but it feels like giving up. And I just…"

"Just what?"

Quinn fiddles with the hem of her dress, sniffling slightly. "I just thought that we were stronger than that."

"Look, Quinn, I'm sorry for being such a bitch to you earlier, it's just that Katherine-"

Quinn takes her hand and squeezes it reassuringly, cutting her off, "I know and it's okay. Katherine's got us all on edge. I forgive you."

Santana shakes her head and pushes her hand away, frowning. "No, you shouldn't. I-I have to tell you something."

Quinn glances back at her curiously, "What is it?"

Santana exhales deeply before confessing, "Katherine came by the house yesterday while you were sleeping and I was downstairs. She told me I had to spy on you and Stefan and report back to her. She's the one that gave me the daylight ring, she gave Brittany one too." Unable to control herself, she starts to cry. "I'm so sorry, Q, I didn't want to but she threatened my family and she threatened Brittany. There was nothing I could do."

"I know, San." Quinn whispers, pulling her into her arms. "I know about Katherine, I figured it out today."

Santana lifts her head and stares back at her in disbelief. "How?"

"The ring was what tipped me off and then the way you were acting today, I just knew that Katherine had to have something to do with it." she responds.

"I couldn't help it." Santana murmurs embarrassedly. "I was just so upset and angry at her, my emotions kind of just went all over the place, and I ended up snapping at you."

"Our emotions are heightened when we become vampires." Quinn explains, allowing the Latina to rest her head on her shoulder. "And since you were quite the hothead as a human…"

"Now that I'm a vampire it's magnified." Santana grumbles, falling back onto her pillows with a groan. "Great. Just great. You might as well stake me now."

Quinn frowns deeply. "Don't say things like that, Santana. Things will get better, promise."

Santana reluctantly pushes herself up onto her elbows. "The only way things are going to get better is if Katherine were to drop dead."

"We should only be so lucky." Quinn sighs heavily, shaking her head. "We just need to come up with a good plan of attack and then once she's dead-"

Santana scoffs. "You know what? We shouldn't even kill her, Q."

Quinn arches her eyebrow and glances back at her, utterly perplexed. "What do you mean?"

Santana pushes herself back into a sitting position. "I mean that killing her would be too kind. Your marriage is crumbling because of her. Britt and I are vampires because of her. The girl deserves to suffer…she needs to pay for what she did to us and killing her, well it just doesn't cut it. At least, I don't think." she responds, arms crossing over her chest.

Quinn looks at her expectantly. "So what do you suggest we do?" But as soon as the question leaves her lips, an idea forms on how they could get back at Katherine, making her suffer in a way that death wouldn't do justice.


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: I can't believe it took me two damn years to finish this thing. It's ridiculous. This shouldn't have taken me two years to update, but what can you do when your muse abandons ship? I apologize for the long ass wait. I usually go without updating for a few months at the most, not two years. Most of you probably thought I abandoned this story, but I made a promise when I started writing to never abandon my fics. Yeah I might get a little sidetracked or my muse might abandon me, but I promise I eventually finish all my stories. Eternal and Where the Wild Things Are are the only works in progress I have left so once I have some down time I'll get back to those asap.**

**I'm pretty sure the anticipation of Glee's 100th episode is what's got my creative juices flowing. You guys have no idea how excited I am for it. Like seriously. I mean, Quinn's back (Yay!), there's going to be an Unholy Trinity/Britney Spears number (I can't even...) and a QUICK DUET.**

**Do you all know how long I've waited for Quinn and Puck (My OTP) to sing a duet? **

**FIVE FREAKIN' SEASONS that's how long.**

**Needless to say I am a very, very happy camper right now. Even more so because the 100th episode just happens to be scheduled to air on my birthday (okay, well technically part 2 of it is or the 101st episode - whatever the hell they're calling it). Point is things are going good for me so far into this new year and I sincerely hope the same could be said for all of you!**

**Anyways, before I further embarrass myself, please Read. Enjoy. Review!**

* * *

><p>"Do you really think this is going to work?" Damon inquires, taking his eyes off the road to glance back at Quinn.<p>

She turns her attention away from the window and shrugs. "It's the only plan we have so far. It has to work."

"But how do we even know that the little witch knows how to open up the tomb?" he wonders, brow furrowed skeptically.

"We don't." she sighs, shaking her head wearily. She leans back in her seat, her gaze flickering to him. "But it doesn't hurt in asking, right?"

"Even if she did know how to open up that tomb - which I highly doubt she does -what makes you think that she would be willing to help us? I mean she hates us."

Quinn scoffs and shoots him a pointed look. "Correction: she hates _you, _Damon. You're the one who attacked her after all. While _I_ saved her." she reminds, smirking slightly.

Damon rolls his eyes, already shaking his head. "That doesn't matter. She's a witch. A _Bennett _witch at that and they hate vampires."

Quinn considers this for a moment before responding with, "We just have to explain to her how dangerous Katherine is and the threat she could pose to everyone, not just us." she says simply.

"That sounds awfully optimistic, Blondie." Damon scoffs. "But even if we do manage to get that tomb open, how do you expect us to get Katherine in it? I hardly doubt she'll be willing to walk in there on her own."

Quinn rolls her eyes for a second then replies. "That's where Stefan comes in. Though how he intends to get Katherine to Mystic Falls I don't know." she continues, answering his unspoken question. "He just said he'd take care of it."

"Speaking of which, you two still on the outs?" he inquires curiously, glancing back at her expectantly. Quinn turns away, opting to focus her attention on the open road instead.

"Damn. And I had so thought you were going to last _forever_." When Quinn turns to glare at him, she finds Damon shaking his head in mock disappointment. "That's what you get for getting married at _seventeen._"he sighs, tsking knowingly.

"Could you just shut up and keep driving?" Quinn snaps irritably, shooting him a scathing glance before reaching over and turning up the volume on the radio.

Damon chuckles to himself, finding her hostility more amusing than anything. "Hey, don't take your anger out on me. Save that for my little brother."

"I knew I should've done this on my own." she mutters to herself, falling back against her seat and exhaling deeply. "It would've been so much easier…"

His brow furrows for a moment as he turns to regard her questioningly. "Yeah, why did you invite me to tag along on your little mission anyways?"

"Because I need your help unfortunately." she retorts.

"Is that the _only_ reason you asked me?" he smirks, one eyebrow raised suggestively.

"Yes." she nods, turning her head and rolling her eyes at him. "Now get that look out of your eyes, I'm still married to your brother."

"For now." he returns, his gaze falling back to the road ahead of them.

—

"You want me to do _what_?" Bonnie Bennett stares at them like they've each grown an extra set of heads.

Quinn sighs. "Look, Katherine is-"

"An manipulative psycho slut vampire." Damon interrupts, cutting her off completely.

"She's the one who turned Stefan and Damon." Quinn continues, ignoring Damon. "She's incredibly dangerous and has no regard for human life. She killed my two best friends out of spite and now they're vampires because of her. She won't stop until she gets what she wants."

"Which is Stefan." Bonnie clarifies.

"Yeah." Quinn says with a reluctant nod. "She wants him and will do whatever she can to torment us until she gets her way. Which is why we have to stop her. "

"Something we can only do with your help." Damon sighs, sounding annoyed. "So can you open the tomb or not?"

Bonnie fumbles with a response for a second. "I don't know." she replies, raising her shoulders uncertainly. "What you want me to do sounds really advanced and I've only dabbled here and there…"

"See I told you!" Damon exclaims to Quinn, frustrated.

Quinn shakes her head at him before quickly looking to Bonnie. "Bonnie, please. We're begging you." She holds up her hand to Damon's face when he opens his mouth to object. "You're the only one who can help us. If Katherine's left to her own devices God only knows what destruction she'll bring about. Believe me if we had any other options we wouldn't be asking this of you but we don't."

Damon stares curiously at Bonnie out of the corner of his eye to see if Quinn's little plea was getting them anywhere with the Bennett witch.

Bonnie keeps silent for the longest time, her lips pursed in thought. "My grandmother's a witch," she starts quietly, "If she helped me with the spell I'm sure we could open the tomb together." She lifts her gaze and meets Quinn's excited gaze with a faint smile.

"So you'll help us?" Quinn has to clarify.

Bonnie nods. "Yeah, I will. But as for my grams." Bonnie gives a small shrug. "I can't do this without her and if she doesn't agree to help…"

"Not Sheila." Damon whines, throwing his head back with a groan. "She hates me."

Quinn shakes her head, sighing heavily. "Why doesn't that surprise me?" She turns toward Damon with a pointed stare. "You are not coming with me to talk to Bonnie's grandmother. We need her to agree to help and our chances of that happening are much better if you're not there being, well _you_."

"Fine with me." he scoffs, already poised to leave. "I'd rather grab a drink anyways." he says, gesturing to the Mystic Grill across the street. "Call me when you've sealed the deal, Blondie."

—

Stefan idly taps his fingers against the table, waiting patiently by himself in a diner on outskirts of town. It's the middle of the afternoon so the place is somewhat bustling with lunchtime patrons. His gaze flickers down to his phone for a brief second and when he lifts his head he finds Katherine sitting down on the opposite side of the booth.

"Katherine." he acknowledges, sliding his phone back in his pocket. "I have to say I was beginning to think you might not show."

"Wasn't going to." she replies, glancing around and making a face of distaste. "And now I'm wishing I hadn't. Why on earth did you ask me to meet you here at this dive? I can practically feel the stench of grease latching onto my clothing as I speak."

Scoffing slightly, he reminds, "This is Ohio. You really expect there to be any better?" He questions, eyebrow quirked. "Anyhow this was the only place I knew of that I wouldn't have to worry about running into Quinn or any of her friends. Anyone of them sees me out with another girl and they'll lose their heads. Then try to remove mine."

"Ah yes, Santana told me about that. Trouble in paradise for the newlyweds." Stefan's lips twitch slightly when Katherine feigns a sympathetic expression. "I'd say I'm sorry but I'm not." she smirks.

"Neither am I." he responds, briefly waving his - bare - left hand. "That's why I brought you here."

"A married man who no longer wears his wedding band." Katherine remarks, glancing at his hand before leaning back in her seat with slight intrigue. "Now I can't imagine where this is going."

"We made a mistake." Stefan starts, picking up the signed papers he had sitting next to him and putting them on the table, sliding them over to Katherine.

Katherine takes one glance at them before her gaze flickers upward. "Divorce papers?" she questions, brow arched.

He nods. "The only reason I married Quinn was because at the time she was dying of cancer. Her last wish was to be married in the church that her parents had been and what can I say, I wanted to fulfill that wish." he explains with a shrug. "Then she goes and decides she doesn't want to die and asks me to turn her. I saw no harm in it so I did."

"But…" she begins, knowing it was coming.

"But…I'm over a century old and she's only seventeen." he responds. "Granted she's beautiful but it takes more than physical attraction to make a marriage work. Don't get me wrong I care about Quinn, but we had no right to get married. She's so young and I was…delusional. I thought starting a future with her could help me to forget my past…" he drifts off for a moment, shaking his head. "You being here just reminded me that you can never truly escape your past. It was never going to work out between us." he sighs. "We both want different things."

"And what do you want Stefan?" Katherine inquires, gazing at him curiously.

Stefan shakes his head. "Not this." he replies, gesturing around them. "Not a life in some dull as dirt small town in the middle of Ohio. I don't want to spend my days finishing up high school, pretending like I care about her friends or their glee club. I'm a hundred and sixty-two for god's sake." he says quietly, leaning forward.

Katherine studies him through narrowed eyes before bringing up casually, "You know Stefan not too long ago you were practically processing your undying love for her to me at prom. Now you expect me to just believe that you two are done? Just like that?"

"Aren't you the one who told me to dump her ass, divorce her, get rid of her?" he returns, brow raised.

"I didn't think you'd actually do it." Katherine scoffs, amused. "That would take the fun out of things, Stefan."

"Well sorry to ruin your fun Katherine but what's done is done." he says sarcastically. "I can't go on living a lie. I've been doing that my entire vampire existence ever since I-" He stops himself, shaking his head. "Never mind."

"Ever since you what?" She can't help but ask, curious.

"Ever since I lost you." he admits quietly, lifting his gaze to meet hers. Katherine's expression flickers. "The only reason I turned off my humanity in the first place was because I couldn't handle the grief that came from not being able to save you."

Tentatively, he reaches out and places a hand over hers, his thumb starting to caress the back of her hand as he continues. "Whether you believe me or not, I still care about you Katherine. I tried to deny my feelings because I resented you for what you did, turning me into a vampire and faking your death, but you're my first love." he says earnestly, holding her gaze. "And first loves don't go away that easily. If they did you and I wouldn't be here."

"It's always been you, Stefan." Katherine whispers, her guarded expression faltering into that of a sincere one. One which reminded Stefan a great deal of the Katherine he knew when he was human all those years ago. "Always."

Stefan slowly leans forward across the table, his eyes searching hers as their faces draw nearer to one another. Their lips barely brush one another's before two hands come up from behind Katherine and grab her head, effectively snapping her neck. Her head drops against the table with a dull thud at which time Stefan lifts his gaze to find Lexi, kneeling on the seat behind Katherine's, smiling cheekily at him. "Someone order a bitch a la carte?"

Grinning, Stefan quickly gets out of his seat, knowing they had to act fast before Katherine awoke. "How did no one see that?" He can't help but wonder, glancing around at the unsuspecting diner as Lexi pulls Katherine's lifeless body out of the booth and hoists the girl over her shoulder.

"Compelled everyone in this joint not to pay us any attention." Lexi responds shortly, moving sideways through the doorway. Stefan jogs ahead of her and opens the back door of his car, where then Lexi tosses Katherine in like garbage man would a trash bag. As Stefan rounds the car to the driver's side Lexi slides in the back with Katherine.

"You brought the vervain?"

Lexi nods from the back seat. "Yep." To prove it she grabs Katherine by the hair and raises one of the vervain syringes she had brought with her and unceremoniously jabs it into Katherine's neck. She repeats this with two more vervain syringes. With Katherine one could never be too careful.

Lexi shoves the unconscious Katherine aside and props her boots up on the seat divider, leaning back against her seat. "Now put the pedal to the medal lover boy and crank up the Bon Jovi." she demands with a glib smile, her hands coming up to rest behind her head. "We gotta long drive ahead of us."

—

Some hours later Stefan finds himself rocking out to _You Give Love a Bad Name_ like it was 1986 all over again. Lifting his gaze to the rearview mirror, he grins at the sight of Lexi doing the same, hair whipping, head thrashing along to the guitar solo.

"Hey," she says suddenly, prompting him to lower the volume on the radio, "This number's been calling for a while." Stefan glances over his shoulder realizing she had Katherine's buzzing phone in her grasp. "Should I answer it?"

"Not unless you can do a spot on Katherine Pierce impersonation." he responds, taking the phone for a second to glance at the unfamiliar number before handing it back. "Just ignore it. How's Katherine?"

Lexi takes a look back at the body beginning to stir at her feet and without hesitation, picks Katherine's head up, giving it another harsh twist, snapping her neck for what seemed like the hundredth time since they hit the road. "She's all good."

Katherine's body slumps back to the floor and Lexi resumes her previous reclined position, smiling satisfactorily. "You'd think by now doing that would get old. But it doesn't." she chuckles. She taps Stefan's arm with her boot, gesturing for him to turn the music back up. "C'mon, Jeeves. Crank up the tunes."

Stefan shakes his head, smiling to himself, and reaches for the dial but before he can raise the volume, his phone starts buzzing on the passenger side seat. Assuming it was Damon with news on the Bennett witch, he reaches for his phone quickly and puts it up to his ear. "Damon?"

"Try again, Salvatore."

Brow furrowing at the unfamiliar voice, Stefan take a quick glance at the screen to see that the number he was talking to was the same number that had been calling Katherine all afternoon. "Who is this?" he questions, pressing the phone back against his ear.

"An acquaintance of Katherine's." the male voice responds. "She informed us that she was going to meet you Salvatore and said if she wasn't back in an hour to make sure and collect should you decide to try anything against her."

Confused, he asks, "Collect what exactly?"

"Check your phone and find out." Stefan does so without hesitation and finds that the caller had sent him a video of what looked to be two hostages with pillowcases over their heads. "Could you get anymore cliché?" Lexi scoffs from over his shoulder. Stefan hushes her in time to see the captors pull the pillowcases over their heads to reveal Finn and Rachel.

"Bring us Katherine alive and we won't harm a hair on your friends' heads."

Stefan shares a quick look with Lexi before responding with a nod. "Alright. Where do we meet?"

—

"I cleared the debris away, set the torches like you asked." Quinn announces to Sheila and Bonnie, promptly emerging from the tomb under Fell's Church. "We can get down there now."

Bonnie nods and while she helps her grams down to the tomb, Quinn glances around the woods, eyes searching through the darkness.

"Looking for me, Blondie?"

Startled, Quinn whips around to find Damon standing right behind her. "Where have you been?" she demands, scowling at the sight of his ever-present smirk playing across his lips.

"Got a little held up at the Grill." he shrugs, amused. When Quinn shakes her head, Damon turns back to the church ruins. "Witches down there already?" he figures.

Quinn nods and quickly goes after him when he sets out to join the Bennett witches down under the church. "Wait, Damon-"

Before she can remind him to behave in the presence of the witches (particularly Sheila's) Damon joins them down in the tomb. "Hi there." He greets the elder witch with a quick smile before meeting Bonnie's gaze with a smirk. "_Hello again_, Bonnie."

"Damon…" Quinn shoots him a warning glance.

"Make no mistake, Mr. Salvatore, you are no friend to us." Shelia begins, giving Damon a hard look. "The only reason we are here is because your companion here made a compelling case."

Quinn can't help but smile proudly when Damon glances back at her. "See? And you doubted my skills of persuasion."

"Let's just get this over with, shall we? We will open the tomb. You will throw in Katherine. Then this will all be over."

"And how exactly do you guys plan on getting a five-hundred year old vampire down here?" Bonnie inquires, dubious.

"Stefan's on it." Quinn responds in a reassuring tone. Bonnie nods at this and turns back to help her grandmother prepare for the incantation. Damon meanwhile shoots her a look that basically reads, _He better be. _

—

Stefan sighs. "Should've known that Katherine had more minions working for her." he murmurs, trekking through the woods of Mystic Falls alongside Lexi, who had Katherine draped over her shoulder.

"Don't worry about it." Lexi says easily, untroubled. "She probably hired the first goons she could find off the street. Probably aren't even a century old yet. We can take them no problem."

Stefan still looks doubtful. "Regardless we should probably inform Damon and Quinn about what's transpired. If we can't get Finn and Rachel back _and_ keep Katherine we're going to run into problems. And even more so if Katherine wakes up and we're not able to sedate her."

"I've been injecting her with vervain every half hour since we left the diner." Lexi reminds. "Even if she does happen to wake up while we're taking care of her goons, she'll be too weak to do anything about it."

"I wouldn't underestimate Katherine if I were you, Lexi." Stefan advises seriously, stopping short when he suddenly picks up on the other presences close by. "Sense that?"

Lexi nods, turning around in a slow circle. "Three by the sounds of it. Should be easy enough." she says, shrugging Katherine off her shoulder and letting her lifeless heap fall to the ground at her feet. "Let's do this."

Stefan and Lexi turn their heads to the side at the sound of crunching leaves and twigs, poised for a fight, only to be met with gunfire. Before they can even think to react, their bodies are riddled with wooden bullets, the two of them dropping to the ground with a dull thud.

One of Katherine's minions takes a cautious step forward before giving a curt nod to the others. "Take them to the cellar." he orders, watching as the two grab a hold of Stefan and Lexi before reverting his attention to Katherine and dutifully scooping her up in his arms.

—

Back at the tomb, Sheila and Bonnie are in the middle of reciting the incantation required to open the tomb when Quinn and Damon pick up on the distant sound of gunshots being fired. Both their heads snap toward the entrance before glancing back at one another. "Stefan and Lexi have run into trouble." Damon presumes, heaving a sigh. "Figures." He rolls his eyes, exasperated before heading toward the entrance. "You stay here and protect the witches, make sure they get that tomb open."

Quinn shakes her head and grabs a hold of his arm, preventing him from leaving. "No, you stay. I'll go."

"I'm older therefore stronger than you are, Quinn." Damon reminds, his tone teetering on impatient. "If anyone's going to be playing the rescue ranger it's gonna to be me. Besides Stefan would _kill me _if something happened to you."

"Nothing's going to happen to me, Damon." Quinn promises definitely. "Trust me."

Damon pauses and takes her in for a quiet second, his steely blue eyes narrowing suspiciously. "What are you up to, Blondie?"

"Just trust me, Damon." Quinn says again with a small quirk of her lips before blurring out of the tomb.

—

Quinn rushes through the woods at top speed, tracking the scents of Stefan and Lexi she had picked up some miles back. She brings herself to a halt when comes to the end of the trail, their scents leading to what looks to be old property remains. Glancing around, she takes a cautious step toward the descending stairwell that led underground. But before she walks down it, her body stiffens in response to the presence behind her. She turns around slowly unsurprised to find Katherine standing right behind her.

"Katherine." she acknowledges, smirking slightly. "Have a nice nap?"

"I've been ingesting vervain for centuries building up an immunity to it so those vervain injections didn't really have their intended effect." Katherine informs her, unamused. "However having my neck snapped repeatedly by that wench Lexi is another story so kudos on that. You successfully got me to Mystic Falls. Now the burning question is: why?" Blurring forward, Katherine slams Quinn into the nearest tree, nails digging into her skin, fingers crushing her neck. "Now what pray tell are you and your little Scooby gang plotting? Hmm?"

"What do you think?" Quinn scoffs, teeth clenching as Katherine proceeded to crush her windpipe. Wincing, her eyes shut painfully tight.

"Katherine!" Quinn's eyes flash open and over Katherine's shoulder she can make out two guys -vampires - poised to attack with their firearms.

Katherine hisses, frustrated, and glances back at them over her shoulder, her grip on Quinn slightly slacking. Quinn tries to pry the girl's hand off her but Katherine just slams her back against the tree with more force. "I thought I told you two morons to stay in the cellar!"

"We heard the commotion -" The vampire's words are cut off by the sudden force that comes crashing down onto his shoulders, tearing his head clean off like a Barbie doll.

"Cavalry's arrived." Santana announces triumphantly hopping off the headless corpse before it falls to the ground - beside her Brittany does the same.

"What the-?"

Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Quinn pries Katherine's hand from around her neck and sends her flying into another tree. Unsurprisingly Katherine recovers quickly. "Well well well." she drawls, pushing herself upright with a forced smile. "If it isn't tweedle dee and tweedle dum."

"Three against one, Katherine." Santana smirks, folding her arms across her chest as Quinn joins her and Brittany.

Katherine casts them a disbelieving glance. "You really think I can't take all three of you?" she scoffs. "Combined you three aren't even a full year old. I'm over _five hundred _years old."

"What we lack in age we make up in awesomeness." Santana retorts, unintimidated. "We're the Unholy Trinity you dumb psychotic bitch. We get shit done."

Amused more than anything, Katherine raises her shoulders. "Fine. It's your funerals." Without further warning she lunges for the three of them - well, Quinn specifically (for obvious reasons) - and goes for the kill.

Completely prepared for her attack, they meet her head on with their own strategy. The Unholy Trinity may not have much vampire fighting experience (though Lexi has given them a crash course in the past) but having been cheerleaders since middle school, they know a thing or two about working as a team. Something which they think is going to come in very handy when dealing with one Katherine Pierce.

While Katherine lunges for Quinn, Santana sweeps her legs out from underneath her and Brittany slams her on the ground. Before Quinn can get in on the action, Katherine gets back to her feet and effortlessly launches Brittany out of her path, sending her flying into the trees. Santana snarls at this, her vamp face coming on, and grabs Katherine's wrist, twisting her arm while Quinn delivers a powerful blow to Katherine's jaw.

The four of them are nothing but blurs whirling around the area, moving and fighting at a speed that no human could even begin to keep pace with. Though the Unholy Trinity had the advantage in numbers, Katherine had the advantage in strength and was easily combating every punch, kick, and face claw (Santana gets her nails done every week for a reason) they threw her way. Fortunately they are not easily deterred by this.

Quinn grunts when she's forcefully thrown and lands on her shoulder. She quickly staggers back to her feet and shoves her shoulder against the tree closest to her, popping it back into place. Brittany jumps on Katherine's back from behind but the older vampire simply throws her forward. Santana takes this opportunity to ram her head into Katherine's stomach, sending her flying back onto the ground. "That always was my go-to move as a kid." Santana grins, whipping out a stake out of her pocket and pouncing on Katherine.

Katherine quickly rolls over and gets to her feet, sending a devastating kick to Santana's stomach. Brittany picks up the stake Santana had dropped and tosses it to Quinn, who had just come up behind Katherine and slammed her back into the ground. Quinn manages to get her in the shoulder with the stake before Katherine pushes her legs up and sends her crashing into Santana. Katherine pushes herself upright and yanks the stake out of her shoulder. "Not my heart, sweetheart." she mocks, waving the stake tauntingly.

"Wasn't aiming for your heart, sweetheart." Quinn responds in the same tone, helping Santana to her feet.

Katherine chokes on a gasp suddenly, her eyes going wide as her hand flew to the sight of her already healing wound. "What-?"

"Turns out witchy grandmas have a ton of awesome tricks up their sleeves." Santana smirks, brushing herself off and letting her hands fall to her hips. "All you had to do was touch it." she says, gesturing to the stake.

Katherine, still choking and violently gasping for air, drops to her knees before falling into an unconscious heap on the ground.

"The almighty Katherine Pierce taken down by three cheerleaders." Santana scoffs, the three of them circling around her body.

"Ex-cheerleaders. Technically." Quinn corrects, glancing back at her.

"What do we do now?" Brittany inquires, brow furrowed.

"Make sure Stefan and Lexi are okay." Quinn begins, pointing over to the stairwell leading to the underground cellar.

"Where are you going?" Santana wonders.

"To deliver a present to Damon." Quinn responds, nodding back to the lifeless Katherine. "Meet us at Fell's Church. Stefan will know where it is."

Santana and Brittany nod, obediently blurring over to the cellar while Quinn grabs a hold of Katherine and throws her over her shoulder, then taking off in the opposite direction.

—

Katherine awakens some time later, disorientated and confused by the unfamiliar surroundings she found herself with. Fumbling around in the darkness, she eventually catches a glimpse of a little light and instantly blurs toward it. Damon is the first one to greet her. "Hello, Katherine."

Brow furrowed, she asks groggily, "Where am I?"

"Where you should have been all along." Damon retorts coldly. She lunges forward only to be blocked by the seal preventing any vampire from leaving the tomb.

Glancing behind him, she glares at the three baby vampires who were responsible for putting her in here. "You should have killed me." she says roughly, sneering.

"Death would have been too kind."

"Payback's a bitch and so are you." Santana smirks, stepping forward and sauntering up to Katherine. "Here." She tosses an ipod with headphones into the tomb at Katherine's feet. "An ipod solely dedicated the vocal styling's of one Rachel Barbra Berry. Including her tour de force performance of _Run Joey Run_." she snickers. "Have fun in solitary confinement, Katherine."

"Goodbye, Katherine." Damon says one last time, lifting the tomb door slightly and proceeding to slide it across the entrance, despite Katherine's pleas not to.

"You can't do this!" she screams. "Damon, please. Don't. I promise I won't hurt anyone, I'll leave and never come back - please!"

Damon ignores her and closes the tomb completely, leaving Katherine to pound her fists in rage on the other side of the door, screaming and cursing them to hell and back.

Damon steps back from the door, his gaze lingering, before turning around and exhaling wearily. "I need a drink."

"Can't believe it's finally over." Quinn murmurs, sharing a glance with Santana and Brittany.

"I can." Santana scoffs, uncrossing her arms and following Damon out of the tomb. "That bitch never stood a chance against all of us."

"We were like the Justice League." Brittany agrees, smiling happily. "Only better looking."

Reaching the top of the stairwell, Quinn looks around and immediately sighs in relief when Stefan comes jogging over to them. "Stefan." She runs over to him without hesitation and jumps into his arms, then quickly pulls back when she feels him wince. "Sorry," she apologizes, realizing he might not be completely healed from the wounds Katherine's goons inflicted.

"I took Bonnie and Sheila home." he begins, taking notice of Damon's questioning glance when he saw that the Bennett witches were nowhere to be found. "Lexi's fine." he states, turning back to Quinn. "She has Finn and Rachel-"

"Finn and Rachel?" Quinn repeats, eyes going wide with concern. "What are they doing here? Are they okay?"

Stefan nods assuredly. "They're fine. Katherine had her suspicions of me asking to meet up so she had them kidnapped as leverage just incase anything happened to her. Don't worry, Lexi's going to compel them to forget this whole ordeal ever happened when she returns them to Lima."

Quinn relaxes slightly, then after sharing another relieved look with Stefan, wraps her arms back around him. "Thank God you're alright." she breathes, hugging him tightly. "When I heard the gunshots…"

"It's okay, I'm fine." he soothes, pressing a kiss to her lips. "Just need to get a little more blood in me and I'll be back to normal." He rests his forehead against hers and Quinn closes her eyes in response, reveling in the feeling of having Stefan here in her arms and knowing Katherine was locked away in a tomb she had no chances of escaping from.

"Here." She finally pulls away after a few blessed moments and Stefan watches with curiosity as she pulls her necklace out from under her shirt, where his wedding band hung from the chain.

"Thank you for keeping it safe." he says with a genuinely affectionate smile, as she unclasps the chain and slides the ring off, handing it back to him. He slips the band on his third finger and wiggles his fingers a little, lips quirking at the sight of it.

They share another kiss, this one slower, deeper. From behind them Santana makes a disgusted noise and with a sigh, they reluctantly pull apart to shoot her a look. The Latina just rolls her eyes at them while Brittany looks on with a cheery smile.

"So, Damon," Quinn leans into Stefan's side while he addresses his brother, who to her surprise, was still hanging around. She would have thought for sure he would have left already to celebrate on his own. "What's the game plan now? You gonna come back to Lima with us?"

Damon ponders this for a moment before shaking his head. "Nah. I think I'll, I don't know, stay around here for a little while longer." he responds, glancing around.

Stefan's brow furrows skeptically. "Really?"

"Girls here are a lot cuter than they were in 1864." Damon nods allusively, smiling knowingly.

Quinn purses her lips together, frowning. "Damon," she warns, stepping forward. "The only reason I was able to get Bonnie's grandmother to agree to help was if I promised her you would leave town when this was all over. She knows about you harassing Bonnie."

"Well not my problem, Blondie." Damon shrugs indifferently. "You shouldn't make promises you can't keep." He leans into her, his penetrating gaze holding hers. "I'm staying in Mystic Falls. So deal with it."

"Damon -" Stefan begins, only to get cut off.

"Relax you two would ya?" Damon huffs, annoyed. "I'm not gonna go on a killing spree or harass the little Bennett witch anymore. I have more important things on my mind."

Quinn's brow quirks warily. "Like?"

Damon smirks. "That is for me to know and for you to dot dot dot…"

Quinn quietly regards him for a moment, a telltale smirk slowly making its way across her lips. "It's a girl, isn't it?" Her eyes narrow playfully. "Is _she_ the reason you spent all your time at the Mystic Grill today?" she teases.

Damon's smirk falters for a second before he scoffs, shaking her off. "That's ridiculous."

Quinn rolls her eyes. "Please, Damon. I may be a blonde but I'm dumb. There was a little extra sparkle in your eyes when you came to the tomb earlier that certainly wasn't there when you left for the Grill."

Damon snorts. "That so-called sparkle was due to my immense enthusiasm that came from the prospect of finally getting back at Katherine." he promptly informs her, shaking his head at her.

"Whatever, Damon." Quinn shrugs, still smiling to herself. "Just try not to kill the poor girl, would you?" Turning, she gestures to Santana and Brittany, "Come on, let's go home."

"It's about freakin' time." Santana scoffs, eagerly pushing herself off the boulder she'd been sitting on.

"Bye ladies." Damon waves.

Santana simply flips him the bird over her shoulder while Brittany waves back at him brightly and says in return, "Bye, Damon!"

Stefan lingers back while the girls go ahead of him and turns around to face Damon. Sighing, Damon crosses over to his brother, lessening the distance between them.

"If you ever want to meet up again," Stefan holds a hand out, "you have my number. And Quinn's."

"Likewise, brother." Damon nods, jutting out his hand and shaking Stefan's firmly.

"Try not to get in any trouble." Stefan grins, reaching for him and pulling him in for a one-armed hug that has him clapping Damon's back hard with affection.

"Oh you know I will." Damon smirks, responding in kind before pulling away. He walks back into the woods with one last wave over his shoulder before disappearing from sight.

—

About a month later…

Stefan exits the elevator and walks down the carpeted hallway, pocketing a white envelope in his blazer as he goes. He isn't even near the room yet but with his heightened sense of hearing, he picks up on the screaming and yelling from across the hall. Alarmed, he rushes over to the door, opening it with ease (he isn't sure if he had been locked or not) and skids to a halt at the sight he's met with.

He knew Santana was upset about the New Directions placing 12th at Nationals but he didn't think things would come down to this.

"Escucha! Soy de Lima Heights Adjacents y yo tengo orgullo! Sabes lo que pasa en Lima Heights Adjacents? Cosas Malas!" Santana, struggling against Brittany and Quinn's hold like a caged panther - or enraged vampire - lunges for Rachel Berry with murderous eyes.

Lexi, who had come to New York to show her support, sits on the edge of one of the beds, video recording the whole spectacle on her phone with an entertained grin. "This is great. Just great."

"Santana knock it off." Quinn huffs, roughly yanking the Latina back while she continues to chew out Rachel for ruining their chances of winning thanks to her onstage smooch with Finn.

"You know you guys still have next year to try again." he says to Santana directly.

"This freakin' sucks." Santana growls out, yanking her arm out of Quinn's grasp. "I work my ass off and for what? For twelfth freakin' place! No me gusta!"

Rolling her eyes, Quinn turns to Brittany. "Britt why don't you take Santana down to the lobby to cool down?"

Brittany nods agreeingly and takes the still grumbling Santana's hand, tugging the other girl toward the door.

Quinn plops down on the edge of one of the beds and heaves a sigh before glancing back up at Stefan, brow furrowed. "Where'd you disappear off to?"

Wordlessly, Stefan pulls the envelope from out of his blazer pocket, holds it up for a second before handing it over to an unsuspecting Rachel.

Rachel looks at him, confused, and warily takes the envelope. "What is it?" she questions, frowning deeply.

"Open it and find out." Stefan smiles, stuffing his hands in his pockets in an anticipatory manner.

Rachel does so and Quinn watches, bemused, as the shorter girl's eyes tripled in size upon examining the envelope's contents. An ear shattering scream follows, effectively startling the two blondes on the bed. Quinn pushes herself upright and asks curiously, "What is it?"

"Stefan got us all tickets to see Wicked!" Rachel shrieks, her eyes alight like fireworks on the fourth of July. Without warning she spins around and all but pounces on Stefan in her excitement, kissing him full on the lips.

Brow quirking, Quinn blurs over to the pair and effortlessly pries the brunette off of Stefan before she can realize what she was doing. "Uh, Rachel." She clears her throat and says calmly, "Please don't kiss my husband."

"Ohmygod, I'm so sorry Quinn." Rachel apologizes, wide-eyed and flustered. "I don't know what happened."

"I know what happened. You kissed my husband."

Rachel balks at the look the blonde was giving her, it bringing her back to Quinn's old HBIC days. Quinn notices this and grins. "I'm only messing with you, Rachel." she laughs, wrapping her arm around Rachel's shoulders goodheartedly. "But seriously, don't ever do that again." she adds quietly, her smile fading.

Rachel exhales deeply and nods, chuckling slightly. "I'm going to go tell the others." she says quickly, still bouncing with excitement. "Kurt oh my god he's going to lose his mind! Thank you so much, Stefan!" She beams, turning to Stefan. "What better way to end our trip than with trip to see one of the greatest Broadway musicals of all time?"

"How about with a Nationals championship?" Lexi quips, earning a hard stare from Rachel. Turning around in a huff, she storms out of the room in true Rachel Berry form.

Lexi rolls her eyes and reluctantly pushes herself off of the bed. "I'm gonna go check on the Wonder Twins. Make sure Santana's not biting the heads off the people in lobby."

Stefan and Quinn wait for her to leave the room before turning back to one another. "Thank you for the tickets." Quinn says gratefully, stepping forward and wrapping her arms his neck.

"It was nothing." he shrugs, his hands automatically moving to her waist. "You guys deserve it. You did really well today. I'm proud." Placing a tender kiss to her forehead, he then takes her hand and beckons her to follow him.

"I'm proud of us too." Quinn responds with a nod, closing the hotel room door behind her on their way out. "Even though we didn't place we still gave it our all. We've come a long way since our third place finish at last year's regionals."

Stefan nods, leaning into her as she wraps her arm around his. Together they walk in a contented silence down the hallway toward the elevator. They ride up to the very top of the hotel and walk out onto the rooftop. Quinn unlinks their arms and skips forward, spinning around and inhaling the cool air. Stefan smiles at the sight and follows her over to the edge. He comes up beside her and peers over the side with her, the two of them instantly catching sight of Santana and Lexi arguing down below by the hot dog vendor.

Shaking his head, he pulls back and sits down on the ledge with Quinn, their feet dangling in the air together. Quinn leans into his side, resting her head against his shoulder as they watch the sun start its slow descent down into the earth, the fading light projecting various shades of orange and some purple in the sky above them.

"You ever think you'd be here?" he wonders, staring out ahead at the myriad of skyscrapers that made up New York City.

"No." She shakes her head against her shoulder. "At the start of the school I didn't expect to make it to Christmas let alone to Nationals six months later."

He turns his head down to see her. "I don't think I've properly thanked you." he begins, prompting her to turn her head questioningly. He smiles at this and elaborates. "Because of you I was able to turn my humanity back on, because of you I mended my relationship with my brother - well to an extent," he chuckles. "You helped me get rid of my psycho ex…" He strokes her hair and kisses her forehead, his eyes meeting hers. "Thank you, Quinn. For helping me, for choosing me. For always being there for me. I honestly don't know where I'd be without you."

"Probably in some small town massacring its inhabitants." she says easily, smiling teasingly.

"You joke but it's true. That's probably exactly what I would be doing."

Quinn shakes her head and touches his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze and silently willing him to not think about the what ifs. "Thank you." he says with grateful sigh, lightly bumping his nose with hers.

"No, _thank you_." she says softly, lifting her gaze to his. "If it wasn't for you, Stefan Salvatore, I would not be standing here - well, sitting technically - today. You gave me a second chance at life, something I will always be eternally grateful for."

"You did the same for me, Slim." he murmurs as his mouth closes over hers, the last of the sunlight fading into the horizon as they embrace.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I always say this but it's true, I'm horrible at endings. Gah. Whatever. I'll probably come back to it and fix it when something better comes to me. <strong>

**Anyways, thank you all for reading, reviewing, favoriting, alerting this story - all the support means a lot to me! **

**Thanks again for reading!**


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